


Dream Dust: Volume 1 - Suiko

by XMezumiiru



Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Explicit Language, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 154,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23498977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XMezumiiru/pseuds/XMezumiiru
Summary: Based on an ongoing RPG:After all nine armors are stolen at the same time, the Troopers and Masho join together to find them. Being swept into fantasy, they need to figure out where they are, who they are against, and what to do with new powers that suddenly appear.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Dream Dust





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the authors:  
> Master of the Game - Busou  
> Ryo - Amisam & DanieBartin03  
> Seiji - Irenkaferalkitty  
> Shuu - LadyGreyfist  
> Touma - Lady_Helsing  
> Shin - DanieBartin03  
> Rajura - Rarmae  
> Anubisu - XMezumiiru  
> Kayura - Busou  
> Shuten - Shagrath to ch 4 then LadyGreyFist  
> 

Shuu put his bed down before scratching his head. He was only here two nights before moving in with Shin - where did it get to?

“Mei! Chun! Were you in my room playing with my armor?” Shuu yelled out, knowing the twins liked playing Samurai Trooper. On more than one occasion, they took his armor without saying anything.

\-----

He made it to class just on time, but something was missing. As Touma dug around in his pack, he thought he must have left the armor in the apartment. It’ll be waiting there when he got home. After all, he can feel it wasn't that far away.

\-----

“Shuten hated beans,” Naaza commented idly, lifting a piece of cabbage to his mouth. 

The others paused in eating their Obon lunch, the first year after being freed from Arago. “What?” Rajura asked.

Naaza shrugged. “I just remember one time he told me he hated beans. Not quite sure why I thought about it now.”

“We're all remembering little things,” Kayura said quietly.

\-----

Ryo sat down hard on the floor. Byakuen nuzzled against him, radiating concern.

“I don't get it, Yaku. Where did I put it?” Ryo looked around some more before panicking a bit. “You don’t think I could have dropped it outside, do you?”

Byakuen whined, and Ryo could see something more behind his brown eyes. “Come on,” Ryo called, getting up. “Let’s look around outside. I don't want any of the guys finding out I lost the new armor.”

\-----

Following Kayura's scream, the Masho rushed to the shrine, finding it engulfed in flames. The final bonfire for their fifth Obon festival since Shuten died was burning out of control. One of the paper lanterns already caught a spark and was floating in the heat.

Anubisu raised his sword, calling forth winter. Frost covered unburned sections of the Temple, containing the blaze.

“Oh, Kami,” Kayura cried again, seeing a figure moving in the flames. All of the Masho waited with bated breath for the demon to emerge from the fire.

And they were right. It was a demon: bright red hair, green eyes, and a dangerous smile. After years of offerings, secret protestations, and soul-wrenching prayers, the spirits of the afterlife conceded to giving up the soul of the beloved Shuten Douji.

\-----

Nasuti could hear the strain in Seiji's voice, even hidden by the perfect dictation. It surely galled him to admit he could lose the armor. No, Seiji wouldn’t just lose his armor. Maybe she can find something about the armors going back into hibernation. Or perhaps the new armors weren't meant to last very long, to begin with.

Surely, there wasn't a new threat. Right?

\-----

In the quiet of the evening, Kayura placed the armor gently into Shuten's hand. “This belongs to you. I have my duties, and I feel the armor wants its true master.”

Shuten held the armor sphere to his chest. It felt like he was complete again. “Thank you.” 

From the mists of the unknown afterlife, he returned as a protector of the Youjakai. Without his memory of the afterlife, Shuten took his place among the Mashou. “We should invite the Trooper here for a celebration. I don’t know if they’ll come, but they should know you returned.”

“And the new armors they just received? What do we know about them?” Shuten wondered, even as he thought about if the Masho would gain new armors as well, finally freeing them of the last remnant of a bad past.

But, Kayura shook her head. “I don’t know anything about these new armors or who created them. Hopefully, if they come, I’ll learn more.”

“Well, let’s hope they’ve grown and let go of old grudges.”

She laughed, “Someone has to.”

\-----

“Shin,” Shin's mother said placating, “Why don't you give Yagyu-san a call? We searched for two days in the house, and you even searched the sea. It's not here. Unless we baked it into a pot…” she trailed off seeing her son’s eyes light up. “No. No, you are not breaking any pots just to see. It was just a thought, and you know we wouldn't do something like that.”

“I know, it's just…” Shin said dejectedly. 

She hugged her son. “Call Yagyu-san. She might know something we don’t.”

\-----

Naaza joined the other Masho last after discovering his armor missing. It was far away, farther than anyone could move without such armor overnight. But Naaza could feel it was not severed from his control, but it was weak and quite unhappy to be that way.

“Who or what could have gotten within the castle, past all of us, to steal the armors?” Anubisu asked, definitely angry someone could have slipped by him. 

Naaza tried ribbing Anubisu, trying to defuse the tension, “Maybe one of your dogs ate it?” He got a glare back, but no heat followed it.

“No living person could have made it this far without my knowledge,” Rajura cut in. “And I helped Kayura set up the protections for the spiritual side.” 

“An inside job then?” Shuten asked.

“Surely, you don't think it was one of us.” Kayura's eyes followed the volley between the two, widened and shocked.

“I don't know,” Shuten replied sharply, “none of us have ever stolen an armor.”

Naaza wasn't quite sure why Anubis seemed to flinch slightly and felt the need to defend against that. “What are you implying?”

“Perhaps nothing,” he answered. “I just find it suspicious that if no one could get in and it wasn't one of us,” his gaze flipped to Anubisu again, “what could it be?”

“Stop it,” Kayura said, but no one paid attention to her.

“Perhaps somebody feels threatened,” Rajura snapped at Shuten.

“We have more questions than answers, and it does no good to threaten or imply anything,” Kayura stated firmly.

Naaza changed the focus, “Perhaps we ought to check on the Troopers. If someone is going after us, it’s only a matter of time before they go after them.”

“I agree,” Kayura cut in. “I'll contact Yagyu-san. The rest of you should prepare yourselves for the trip.”

“And leave the Youjakai unguarded?” Rajura asked Kayura in a softer tone.

“We couldn't do anything about an uprising, anyway,” Naaza countered, and the rest agreed.

Kayura clutched the staff to her tighter. “We’ll meet in one hour at the shrine.”

Anubisu glared at Shuten before turning away. Rajura and Naaza shared a look, watching Shuten storm away, while Kayura sighed.

“I cannot even feel it,” muttered Rajura. His quiet tension felt so keenly by the others. 

Tucking his hands up his sleeves, Naaza answered, “I can feel the connection, it’s not completely gone. We’re just cut off.”


	2. Chapter 2

Nasuti understood the weight of the situation. Seeing her boys in such a state of panic made her worry. What more could they go through? Hadn’t life thrown enough at them?

She straightened the chairs again, making sure everything was perfect. Her home would play host to the meeting between Trooper and Mashou. She moved to prepare light snacks and drinks, thinking the two groups would be too caught up in the heated discussion even to consider a heavier meal. Except for Shu, she didn’t think anything would put him off food… except for the missing armor.

Her work in the kitchen was quiet, and she keenly felt the tension in the air. If the orbs were missing, something else was terribly wrong. The Troopers wouldn’t simply lose something so important. She had to put down the knife and hold her mouth; otherwise, she could just scream from the vast unknowns happening. 

Byakuen padded in from the outside quietly, keening softly as he rubbed his head on her side. A sad smile stole over her face as she crouched down and hugged the big cat. The fresh smell of grass and forest clung to his fur. He just got back from a mid-day hunt, and it was beautiful weather for it. The rumble from his chest was soothing. She knew big cats couldn’t purr, but his heartbeat made a good substitute.

The clang of the old grandfather clock striking noon caused Byakuen’s ears to twitch. The power vacuum of the gate appearing alerting him of the arrival of the others before he heard the footsteps of the approaching Masho – three geta, a softer zori, and… he was missing one. No, just well-worn straw and quiet steps. 

Ryo’s quiet steps made their way to the door. Everyone else, doing whatever they could to keep busy, converged on the entranceway… debating theories and feverishly cleaning, anything they could do to pass the time, came to a sudden stop.

Old met new. The Troopers stood in casual modern clothes. Shu, having returned from America and his Uncle Chin’s restaurant just weeks before, gained an appreciation of better clothes, although with a definite Chinese twist. Seiji always looked a tad too formal, while Ryo looked as if he just stepped out of the woods. 

The Masho looked as if they stepped out of an old Kurosawa movie. Of course, they did, Touma thought, to them, it hasn’t been over 400 years. These were real samurai. His mind distracted itself, looking at all the differences between them and images from movies. He looked over at Seiji, a modern samurai.

Seiji instantly knew the crests on the haori of Shuten and Rajura. Anubisu and Naaza weren’t wearing crests, and he wondered why. They both had evident samurai training, so why hide the crests?

And while the others might not recognize it, Naaza and Anubisu’s fabrics were not silk, and Anubisu bunched his hakama at the ankles. He’s ready for work, not a discussion… or perhaps a fight.

Behind Seiji, Shuu paced beside the table. How the fuck am I supposed to find the kind of inner chill to just... sit down? At least Rajura didn’t look so intimidating without his armor. The eyepatch was kind of cool, well, if he didn’t look so stuck up. 

Darting about the room between Troopers and Masho, Ryo took in everything. He knew the missing armors was a heavy topic and yet having all his friends together after all this time made him feel whole. 

Nasuti stepped forward, seeing Ryo wasn’t going to take the lead and bowed to the group. “Welcome to my home. Please, come in and let’s begin.”

Kayura smiled as she stepped forward, her jūnihitoe rustling and shajuko clinking. She bowed, as did the rest of the Masho. “Greetings. Please forgive us for bothering you. Thank you for having us. We are honored to be accepted in your home.”

“Irassaimase. I think we all know each other, so shall we sit down and begin? I have some snacks if you are hungry.” Nasuti gestured to the snacks, where Touma had moved to sample. 

Shuu paused in his pacing long enough to watch Touma stick something in his mouth, with a slightly surprised look on his face. They shared a glance as Touma tried to taste the chocolate covered treats, but his nerves rendered them tasteless. 

Despite seeming to be more interested in the treats, Touma had kept his eyes on the Masho since they had arrived. Honestly, he expected this tension to happen; he just didn't know why. And the air was just as palpable as he knew it would be. 

He helped himself to more of the snacks Nasuti was kind enough to provide, though he thought it was just as likely she didn't want him raiding her pantry in the middle of the meeting. Now, if Shuu would only stop his pacing… Oh good, he finally did… For a moment... He popped another treat in his mouth and took his seat. 

Shuu thought Touma probably had the sensible idea, as he nabbed a plate and deposited some of the sweeter snacks on it, ignoring the slight sneer on Rajura’s face. They were perhaps some kind of chocolate graham cracker or something. Oh, fuck that, he thought, there were literally none of that snack left.

Shuu didn't care that they were Touma's favorite of the snacks and that Nasuti had likely put them out specifically for Touma. That was it! He was going to mess with Touma and try to sneak one off Touma's plate the next time he passed. Maybe it would stop him from wearing a trench in Nasuti's antique rug.

Rajura’s one good eye took in each of the Troopers before settling on the table. After bowing again to Yagyu-san, he chose a chair, back facing a wall near the center of the table and sat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sharing an exasperated look, Kayura and Nasuti sat down at either end of the table, with grace and authority. 

Eventually, Rajura’s gaze stopped on Shuu as he paced, but he worked to keep his normally sharp tongue firmly in check. He needed these children, he ruminated, as much as it galled him.

With his friends and foes-turned-allies attempting to cope with the missing armors, Shin eyed Shuu’s pacing with concern as he took his seat across from Rajura. His constant staring at the snack table made Shin wonder briefly if he should help Nasuti bring out more treats. 

Shuu stopped next to Shin as they both watched as Seiji delicately set himself down in his chair. He huffed when Anubisu dropped down into his across from Seiji. 

A small part of Shin hoped the missing armor meant they could finally settle down into normal lives, that fate or destiny or whatever deity of the time is finally giving them a choice for once. He was glad Shuten decided to sit next to Nasuti. Ryo might have had a fit if any of the others did.

It was ironic, Seiji thought, watching the two groups settle down. Despite the existing peace, they stuck to their sides of the tables, the Troopers to one side and the Masho on the other. Kayura was seated at one end of the table, and the other was Nasuti. Ryo, next to Nasuti, fidgeted in his seat, tapping his right leg anxiously, causing the table to vibrate.

His usual sense of inner calm roiling, Seiji focused on maintaining a calm facade – there would be tempers aplenty flying in a few moments. The more voices of reason there were, the higher the likelihood they would be faster at reining in the others. 

Anubisu was glad to catch the seat next to Kayura, farthest away from Shuten, but across from Date. Watching Date slip gracefully into his seat sparked a bit of irritation. Well, at least the once-powerful clan has been reduced to a single-family - fitting payback for wiping out his own. Not that it mattered, neither he nor this Date had anything to do with that.

Touma took his seat between Kayura and Seiji, offering her some snacks from one of his plates. She quietly declined, more unsure of what she was looking at than not desiring something. The table Nasuti set up for them was immaculate, from each folded napkin to the pristine white tablecloth. Kayura was impressed.

Anubisu’s baleful glare was hard to ignore. An urge to hiss and return the glare surged in Seiji, one he buried by crossing his arms over his chest and focusing his attention on Nasuti, missing Touma’s interaction with Kayura. This was Nasuti’s home, after all, and insulting her hospitality by immediately picking a fight would be beyond the pale. Instead, he gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment as everyone finished settling down at the table.

Shuten kept his suspicions to himself since the other Masho and Lady Kayura had already heard them. He touched his fingertips together before him and did not touch the table, zoning out as he actively ignored everyone around him, especially Shuu's incessant pacing. He prayed to those in Heaven that sought to aid him for peace of mind to endure this egregious loss. But, he was too annoyed by the recent severing of his armor to stay focused on meditative prayer.

Keeping her thoughts to herself, Kayura had waited until everyone had more or less gathered in nearby. They were waiting for someone to speak, and as the resident, and last, Ancient, she felt it her duty to represent the Masho as best she could.

Next to Anubisu, Naaza hissed slightly. "Don't stare at Suiko," Anubisu whispered in Naaza's ear. He received a glare in return. 

They may be under a truce now, but one wrong move could set them off. And after Shuten leaving them to join the Troopers, they didn't know which side he would pick now. Six against three weren't great odds, especially with Kongo and Oni working together.

Finally, Seiji broke the silence, “Has a new enemy risen in the Youjakai that would try to take the armors?” He asked, focusing the scattered energies.

Shuten opened his eyes, dropped his hands to his lap, and glanced around the room. He said, glancing from Kayura to Seiji, "No offense, but the holiest entity is not yet present." At the silence, he sighed before looking to Ryo, "For the love of all the gods, please invite your tiger." He dug into his clenched hands with his nails while Ryo fumbled up to call back in Byakuen.

Turning back to Seiji, Shuten said, "If we knew of a threat, we would have named it right off." Something in Shuten’s eye stifled Seiji's comments.

Then, Kayura cut in. “Troopers, Yagyu-san, thank you for allowing us into your home on such short notice.” Her voice was even despite the fear she felt pulsing through her veins. “As you already know, the armor orbs have gone missing.” The worry she could see in everyone’s face said more than she ever could. “We do not know how this theft occurred. Rajura and I set spiritual barriers, and these were not breached. We weren’t even alerted at the time of the theft by sound or light. The Masho simply woke up, and the orbs could not be found.” 

While it might have seemed shameful to allow such an egregious error to happen, Kayura knew the same thing had happened with the Troopers, as well. This wasn’t a lapse in vigilance. “Rajura and Naaza mentioned they could still feel a connection with the armor,” Kayura continued, “though it is dampened. Has the same happened with you all? I hoped that-” Kayura stopped herself, pondering how she might phrase her request. She was keenly aware that not all of the Troopers, if any, would be interested in working together, given what had transpired years before. “It is my hope that we could attempt to solve this problem expeditiously, with your assistance.”

The Troopers were silent for a few moments, none of them willing to concede working together. 

Seiji stepped in the void, taking another path. “I can also still sense my armor,” he said, “but it is distant, muffled. It does not respond to my attempts to summon it, even when I meditate. The orbs all seem to have disappeared at the same time, which is concerning given our distance apart. Such theft requires organization and coordination.”

"Yeah. Me too." Shuu groused, crossing behind Seiji. "I keep shitting bricks thinking I left it in America because it feels so distant, but I know I brought it with me because I remember it digging into my hip when I went to crash from jetlag, and I remember taking it out of my jeans and putting it next to my bed. OW FUCK!" He cursed as he turned and managed to spectacularly stub his toe on the leg of Shin's chair. He put a palm on the top of Shin's head to wordless apologize for nearly kicking his chair out. 

“Shu…” Nasuti quietly chastised. 

Expression softening a bit, Shuu grumbled, "Look, I don't care that the long term plan wasn't to wear it anymore," he said, eyeing Shin a bit, feeling sympathy. "I've conquered the demons that come with wearing the Kongo armor. I'm scared fuckin' shitless about what someone else could be doing with it right now." His friend was probably torn up inside between being scared the orb was gone and wishing it good riddance. But Shuu just couldn't be.

"On that, at least, we can agree," Rajura unfolded his arms to thread his fingers together on the tabletop. He hesitated thoughtfully for a moment. “Despite reservations, it would be in all of our best interests to set aside our grievances with one another for the time being and work together.” He made a passing glance towards Seiji and Anubisu, lingering on the dark-haired warlord for a moment longer than necessary, receiving a glare back. Then he turned his attention to Nasuti. “Yagyu-san, do you still possess the Jewel of Life? If it’s as powerful as I’m led to believe, it could be useful in reclaiming our armors.”

Touma looked at over to Nasuti, "It's not a bad idea, the ancients created the jewel, and it's shown it has some kind of link to our armors." He paused, then looked at both Kayura and Shuten. "The same could be said for the Ancient Staff. I'll go ahead and guess that you tried and turned up nothing?" Kayura nodded.

“Yes, I still have the Jewel, thankfully.” Nasuti patted her chest, indicating she currently wore the Jewel in question. There wasn’t much she could do, with regards to the armors that she hadn’t tried already. “I haven’t been able to dig up anything on Grandfather’s computer about the sudden disappearance of armors, either. If this has happened before, he made no mention of it.” She sighed and placed her chin in her hands, looking at Shuten. Nasuti was thankful for his return all these years after his death, but fate had other ideas for them. “The Jewel, well… it’s been silent on this whole ordeal, except for this strange… almost distant sensation, but that’s probably what you’re all feeling now, isn’t it? Like the armors are somewhere far away?” Not that validating that particular feeling was helpful in any way, but Nasuti felt like her hands were tied.

Shuten’s eyes were bright with a dancing madness. Was it anxiety? Was it paranoia? Was it four hundred years’ worth of loss? Yes, yes, it was. But, it tempered around this woman. He thought carefully before answering. “We all feel the same way. I’m amazed you forged such a connection with the jewel.” 

“Likewise, the staff hasn’t given me much of an answer,” Kayura answered, eyeing Shuten and his behavior. “I’ve been meditating with it, asking Kaosu and the Ancients for their wisdom, but their voices seem muffled. Whatever this is, you are correct, Korin-san, they are coordinated to have trespassed against all of us without any of us knowing…”

However, strangely, at that moment, they all started to feel an odd sensation. Tension began to rise as if a battle was on the verge. Fear and panic gripped them, clenching muscles, and upsetting food. It deepens and deepens rapidly. Vertigo set in as Shuu toppled to the floor. Heads hit the table as the sensation of reality dropped away quickly.

Suddenly… darkness.

~~~

Anubisu felt his familiar darkness wrap everyone, drawing them down into a forced slumber, out of his control. Maybe it was still his connection to the armor, or just the years of experience being immersed in this darkness that let him find balance amongst the chaos, becoming aware of the rain pattering against the window in the dark. 

Standing up, he held on to the edge of the table as the last of vertigo seeped away, eyes adjusting to the darkness. Anubisu took in the collapsed form of his comrades, noting each one appeared safe and were starting to come out of it. He deliberately peered into corners and darker shadows, knowing what lurked there. After all, he was one of the demons that lurked in the dark shadows. 

Seiji instinctively froze as he woke up, recent events flashing through his mind. He was in the dark again! After a few seconds of waiting and listening, he opened his eyes and sat up, looking curiously around himself. Next to him, he heard Touma groan. 

Those crackers are going to come again, Touma thought, head pounding like he’d thrown everything up and then some. What the actual hell had just happened? Picking himself up, he began to look around the room, fighting that old panicking feeling. 

"Everyone okay?" Shuu slurred softly, peering at the ceiling from the floor. The solid tone helped calm Touma and gave focus to the others. He reached out to where Shin was and felt him stirring.

“Who turned off the lights?” Touma said, seeing nothing in particular. He was used to seeing in the dark of night, but there was so little illumination. 

Rajura kept his head down. He could hear shuffling of people, the familiar voice of Kongo, and Naaza stirring next to him. He thought something terrible might happen. Why wouldn’t it? He heard Ryo ask, “Who caught the number of the bus.” Couldn’t they be quiet? We don’t know who did this. 

Naaza turned to Anubisu to confirm what happened and saw he was already on his feet searching the dark. Okay, so he didn’t do this. With his mind still foggy, he vaguely wondered if he'd accidentally poisoned himself again. That was... odd.

Reaching out to Nasuti, Shuten wondered if the whole castle – house – had been moved. Yami? No, not cold enough. Nasuti stirred as a rumble caught his attention. Shuten saw the white glow of Byakuen’s fur, just barely there, as the big cat rubbed against Ryo. Where did he get to before this?

The electric lights were out, but that terrible, high-pitched whining of electronics is also gone; even the alien glow of the various devices had been snuffed out, Rajura noted. The clock on the wall ticks and he watched it for a few moments in silence. The thin hand clicks back and forth, but the other hands did not move at all. 

"Is anyone hurt?" Shin called out. He saw Shuu was fortunate enough to have been standing in a pretty empty spot when he went down, not that it helped his head, as he rubbed at the goose egg. His equilibrium returned reasonably quickly, and he was worried about his friends.

Outside, the trees glisten in heavy rain. Frustrated, Seiji opened his eyes. Was something lurking in the house now? In the shadows? Upstairs, perhaps? Nothing seemed to tease his senses, save for the uncomfortable tension of being in the dark with his former mortal enemies. “Is everyone alright?”

"Nothing is immediately nearby," Anubisu said quietly.

Ryo's heart steadied, knowing his buddies were safe. "Yah, Bya and I are good," he responded to Seiji. "Hey, buddy, do you have any idea what's going on here?" he asked Byakuen, who flattened his ears, rumbling softly. It must be all clear… or not even he could sense anything.

"I'm alright," Touma rubbed the back of his neck. It was too dark… Weird, that was never a problem before. He was surprised when Shin examined him first, but then remembered they'd been sitting next to each other. "Okay, that was not fun, let's try not to do that again."

Shuu grumbled, fumbling over to the table. "I'm good. My guts feel like they paid a visit to my sneakers, but I'll live. Uuuugh. Are there any saltines in the pantry? I need something to settle my stomach." He groused, rubbing his abdomen slightly as his free hand dug around in his pocket for his mobile, and the eye-pricking white beam of the flashlight splashed across a sea of pensive faces. The Masho flinched harder, unused to artificial light.

"Just because nothing is here right now doesn't mean we're safe. Shut up!" Anubisu snapped, scanning for potential danger. He moved further into the kitchen. He noted Rajura gently trying to wake Kayura. 

The young Ancient sat up and instinctively reached out to touch the hand rousing her. It was warm and oddly comforting. "...Rajura-san?" she murmured, using her other hand to grip the staff she carried with her. Everything was dark, murky. "...what happened? Did we teleport?"

"We're all fine. A little dazed, perhaps," he spoke quietly, still keeping his eye on his surroundings. He furrowed his brow at her words. "Teleport? No, I don't-" He stopped cold.

With a sigh, she stood up, noting how the other Masho were instinctively combing the area for enemies. All business. "Rajura-san, are you alright? Is anyone hurt?" When they'd arrived at the mansion, it was broad daylight. Now it was very dark and stormy. "How long were we asleep?"

Shimatta. Rajura then raised his voice loud enough to be easily heard. "Troopers, would one of you look outside the window? I fear none of us are familiar with this house as to be able to spot any...subtle changes in our surroundings."

Seiji hurried over to the window, pulling his phone out at the same time to check the hour. Touma quickly followed, pulling his phone from his back pocket, "I don’t want to fall on my face," he muttered. 

The sky, they found, was incredibly cloudy. The rain outside was a drizzle, pattering softly against the rooftops. The trees weren't moving - no wind. Seiji peered further, gazing intently at the forest behind the manor for anything out of the ordinary. 

Beside him, Touma's brows knitted together in confusion, transfixed on the grass just outside the window. There was something... not right about the way it glistened in the light of the flashlights. "Guys, the grass is shining like motor oil was spilled on it." He pointed with his phone, hoping the light would catch better, that Seiji might see it too.

"Nothing's to learn from staying and waiting for Godot." Ryo got up and rummaged through the hall closet. Holding two umbrellas in his hands, he turned to Nasuti, "Is this all you have?" She nodded. 

Seiji asked, “What, are you afraid of getting wet?” taking the offered umbrella from Ryo.

"Maybe if it was normal rain...but you heard Touma." 

“Yeah,” Seiji agreed. The clouds above were heavy and rolling, casting deep, oil-darkened shadows across the landscape. The city beyond was dark. What the…? “Touma, I think there’s something in the sky. Come look; you know the skies better than any of us.” 

They took a few steps out, reaching to catch some of the rain in their hands. Rubbing the viscous rain between his fingers, Touma muttered, “Oily, but not oil. No smell.”

Inside, Anubisu returned to the main room, not having found anything dangerous. "I don't think we're still in - what the hell are they doing outside?!" To Seiji, "Did your elders replace all your common sense with ritualistic sword drills? Get in here before you make yourself a bigger target!" Idiots, he mumbled under his breath. 

"And you," Anubisu said to the other Masho, "you're just letting him open us up to what other craziness is lurking out there." He pushed Ryo out of the way, going to the window, trying to see something outside that indicated what was going on. Nothing.

"Are you volunteering to poke your nose in his place, then? Because I, for one, wouldn't mourn your loss." Rajura stood up straight, taking back his hand from Kayura as he sighed. "We are grossly uninformed of what is happening, something I am loathed to be in any situation. Let them prod whatever may be out there if that's what they would like; at least then we might learn something."

Touma glared at Anubisu, "Jesus, Anubisu, hold your damn horses."

"Yeah, dude. Hold your beans. Can't really be talking like Seiji is some kind of fragile idiot... you know... seeing as he's specifically showed you your own ass a couple of times," Shuu grumbled through his crackers. Well, maybe it wasn't the mature or the professional thing to say at that moment. Surely someone being groomed as the next family elder should have more tact during one of these situations. Shuu thought.

Grumpy Masho aside, Anubisu might have had a point. Touma thought, it could be dangerous to go alone. He went back outside with Seiji. Gasping, Touma saw movement in the sky. A vague, massive shape, there but a minute. 

This darkness isn't right, Anubisu couldn’t shake the oppressive feeling, turning around to Rajura. "I've been looking, unlike you. And at least I would be able to see something out there." He purposely chose to ignore Shuu as Naaza came over to stand with him.

"Just because I haven't been rushing around, eagerly shoving my face against every window, does not mean I haven't been observing my surroundings." Rajura furrowed his brow as he folded his arms over his chest. "There is no electricity here, no soft hum of the machines and devices in this house. And what Lady Kayura mentioned, that she felt similar to having been teleported. I don't have concrete proof of anything yet, but if our foes can so easily spirit away our armors from under our noses, it stands to reason they could have the ability to do much more than that. Like, say perhaps, transporting an entire house full of people to a place of their choosing."

Shuten stood up and stomped his way over to Lady Kayura. "I'll bring this right back," drawing out the sword within. Kneeling to Byakuen, "Some are saying they feel their armor is far away," he said softly, offering the sword as a tribute. "Please do us all a giant favor and tell us where it is." He pointed to each cardinal direction as he said them. "North would be Heaven, South would be Hell, East would be Earth, West is the Youjakai, Up is the Universe, and Down is impossible to get to. And if they're split up, just lay it down afterward or hand it back."

Byakuen rumbled, gently taking the sword from Shuten's hands. I am not sure, tilting southwest to northwest.

Dropping his head, Shuten took back the sword, stroking Byakuen. "If I'm ever not myself, please don't hesitate.” 

"Please forgive me," Shuten said to Kayura softly as he resheathed the golden sword. He knelt before her and vowed, "I will protect you to the best of my ability." Kayura took his hand, squeezing it.

"Maybe we have to create new armor...or find a way to summon it back," she said tentatively. 

"Are you receiving any insight from Kaosu? My mind has been too shocked to focus clearly at all." Shuten asked. But, she just shook her head.

Ryo returned, resting his hand on Shuu's shoulder, calming him down. Looking between Anubisu and Rajura, "Hey, we're all on edge here." He yelled back to Touma, "See anything?"

"There's something there, but I can't make out what it is," Touma answered, glaring at the clouds before he and Seiji went back inside.

“So, what do we do now?” Seiji asked. “Go explore our new surroundings? Try to get up into the sky or bring whatever’s up there down here? Our options seem limited without the armors to help us.”

Touma sighed and crossed his arms, "Well, I can't fly up there anymore. So I'm not sure how we'd get into the sky." Gods, he missed flying.

"What if we tried the attic window?" Ryo suggested.

"We can try it." And, they left the room. The others listened to their footsteps, waiting… waiting…

“Staring up into the sky isn’t getting us anywhere,” Seiji finally said, stepping back into the house. “I think we need to explore the area. We can split up - some of us explore the forest, and a few others keep guard here.”

"I'm not comfortable that we're venturing out blindly,” Shin picked at the tablecloth, recalling the poor outcome last time they split up. “But, I suppose there are no other options left. I'm just not sure if we should be splitting up..." 

“I’d rather not split up, but we need answers,” Seiji said.

“Nothing,” Touma said, coming back down. 

“And, it’s just dark and dusty up there as I remembered,” Ryo said.

“I saw something. What could be up there? Is it a plane? No, much too big. It's the wrong shape. No noise. A Youjakai barge? That would be quiet and would be airborne, but we haven't seen or heard of one appearing since the fall of Arago... A glider? Again, the shadow was too big, and where could someone use a glider to get above the cloud cover? A human would be dead...” Touma trailed off.

Snapping out of it, Touma pulled out his phone, "Before we try that. Let's be sure we can keep in touch. This shit is weird, and I don't trust it… No connection.”

“Me either,” Shuu said, with Seiji and Shin agreeing, looking to their phones. The Masho looked to each other, wondering what was so great about the boxes.

"Well, fuck." Touma wasn't terribly surprised to find it dead. "If we split up, we have to do this the old fashioned way."

"It's never stopped us before." Ryo slid his phone into his back pocket.

Seiji turned to Nasuti. “Are any of the weapons you have in the house ones we could take with us? Or are they only for display?”

She jumped a bit, looking up from her phone, "It looks like the power's out, in addition to everything else," she said with a sigh. Grandfather would understand. "Most of them probably aren't sturdy enough for use, but you're welcome to take anything you think you can. I've... also got a baseball bat. I kept it by the bed during the war." She sheepishly looked over the Masho. 

The Troopers nodded to each other, going up the stairs. Nasuti noted the Masho didn’t follow but didn’t look perturbed by a lack of weapons. They probably are armed, hidden weapons. The old Samurai were never without at least one weapon.

Coming back down, Touma handed the bat to Nasuti, "I think Nasuti should hold onto the bat... just in case." He held the longbow.

"Man. It's not a naginata or nunchucks, but I can probably use this to make a dent in any problem." Shuu grinned, hefting a mace. "Hey. Hey, Shin. GET IT!? Make a dent?" 

Shaking his head, Shin put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Shuu, if you have to explain the joke, it isn't funny."

"You still smiled. I still win."

"Naaza,” Rajura sighed, “perhaps you would be so kind as to lend us your prowess to figure out what the hell is falling from the sky instead of sitting around twiddling your thumbs." There was a slight irritation in his voice. "The least we can do is contribute to whether or not this 'rain' is truly safe."

"Twiddling my thumbs?” Naaza looked up from watching the rain at a window. “While you were flipping your hair, I was already trying to determine just what this is." Silly spider. "Without my armor, my ability is diminished, but--" I’m so done with this nonsense. Snatching a glass from the table, he walked out to collect a sample for examination. The rain began to accumulate, falling thickly in the glass.

Holding it up, "Tenku, you have that pocket-light? Hold it up for me, would you?"

"Why not?" Touma turned his phone on and put it in flashlight mode.

"Thank you," He muttered. To the touch, it felt oily, like that liquid soap Nasuti had in the kitchen. Slightly sticky, slightly viscous, but completely clear in color. He'd never seen anything quite like it. Naaza lifted the glass to his nose. "Odorless. I thought perhaps it would be an oil of some kind, like olive. But no smell, hmm? Eh." 

Touma nearly dropped his phone as Naaza tilted his head back and drank the entire glass. Shin looked like he was ready to faint in the dull light. "Tastes acrid. Unpleasant. Doesn't seem to form a lasting film, though." With a shrug, he placed the glass on the table. "Is the spider satisfied for now?"

“I got scolded for just going outside with an umbrella. Drinking that- What if it’s poisonous?” Seiji asked.

"If it's poisonous, I would be more likely to recover from it," Naaza said with a nonchalant shrug.

"That's never stopped him before," Rajura stated like the snake hadn't just imbibed a mystery cocktail. "But yes, I believe that should do. A slightly more unpleasant sort of rain, then, but not actually dangerous."

“I think a search of the area is still our best next step, assuming no one else has a better idea.” Seiji continued, a bit unsure. “How shall we proceed?”

"Hey, if it's oil, it could be flammable." Ryo perked up. "How do you suggest we split up?"

“Well, perhaps Nasuti should stay here. This is her home, after all, so it feels right for her to stay and defend it. We could leave half the group here and send the other half out to explore or perhaps split into three groups? I don’t think splitting into pairs would be sensible.”

"Sounds like a plan, buddy,” Ryo responded as if he heard something else. “Let’s go for it." Grabbing the glass, he added, "and don't forget to include me in it!"

"What are you doing with that glass, Ryo?" Shin inquired suspiciously.

"I'm just taking the glass to the sink..." Pulling matches from his pocket, he heard steps quickly coming at him. Quickly, now. He struck one, and the liquid went up in flames explosively, and, just as quickly, extinguished. A soft, floral scent and a small amount of purple dust floated in the air. And no heat.

"What the hell...?" Someone muttered.

Oh, wow... just wow... "Ummm, Ryo, let's go show the others. I think I've got an idea about what this is!" Touma nearly vibrated with shock and realization.

They returned to the table, sitting with the rest of the Troopers. "So… the oil rain doesn't blow up." Touma started. 

Ryo held the glass out to the others, "It becomes dust.”

“Yup,” Touma bounced in his seat. “I've read about this in a book once, I think it was called Sapphires in the Sky, but it talked about this. A rain that, if set to fire it becomes a cloud of slippery dust. So, I think this might be dream dust." Touma shrugged, "or something very much like it."

"Dream dust?" Seiji asked in surprise. "Does this mean this is all a dream?" he asked, making a sweeping gesture.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's not out of the question. Or a dream-like state. You hit those when you meditate, right?"

"It's more of a state of serenity and clarity," Seiji replied, frowning, noting Shuten nodding as well. "Do you recall if there was any particular being, race, or faction that specialized in making or using dream dust?"

"I think it was discovered." He tried to recall what happened. "Yeah, I think they found it by accident, then said it was slippery rain, that would smell when you lit it up. Slippery like dreams."

"Discovered by who?"

"A merry band of adventurers." He felt the glare, "Yes, it was that fantasy novel you gave me shit for. A wizard and a druid discovered it."

"DUDE!" Shuu bellowed, "that sounds like some straight-up MMORPG shit! Damn, is this my punishment for saying I wouldn't play Aeir Quest with you over the summer. Vidya Games?" Shuu returned Rajura’s sudden glare, "Sorry, boomer, you won't get it."

"Moving back to the matter at hand," Seiji said with a brief wave, "how do we know this book was accurate? It was fiction, wasn't it? Although," he paused, frowning, "does anything about this situation seem familiar? Like it's from the book?"

"They stopped to camp in a haunted forest. We did not. But, the oil-like shine to the rain and what Ryo did were very similar," Touma answered.  
"I'm just stoked my pyromaniac tendencies did something useful!" 

“Even if it is a dream,” Seiji said thoughtfully, “there’s still a great risk we can be hurt, so we’ll need to be careful. I still think some of us should go explore, perhaps walk an hour or so beyond the house?”

"How should we decide who goes and who stays," Shin asked.

“Draw sticks? I know we’d like all volunteer.” 

"Good! You all go on," Anubisu snapped.

Touma did a quick scan of the room, "There's ten of us that are... more capable of fighting," he glanced apologetically at Nasuti. "Or eleven if we count Byakuen. We could split into a party of two, or three, two parties explore, and one stays behind to man the fort?"

Rajura had a mischievous smirk worming its way onto his lips. "Oh? I thought you'd be eager to get into a fight, Anubisu, but if the unknown frightens you..." 

"I don't see you volunteering to explore."

He smiled nonchalantly, leaning back in the chair. "I will be busy working with Lady Kayura in laying the groundwork for protecting this place from whatever might be out there. Traps, barriers, what have you. Doing what I do best. Traipsing around in the dark, why, it practically has your name all over it, don't you think?"

"Your tongue always did more work than the rest of you. I guess it's the only thing left." Anubisu stormed away. "Korin," he snapped, "you come with me. If something is lurking out there in the dark, you'll draw it in like a moth to fire. And Kannon knows you'll never see it until it's on top of you."

Seiji narrowed his eyes but nodded curtly. “Do we want a third person with us?”

"Whatever makes you feel safe."

"I'm always up for an adventure, like you said moths are drawn to fire," Ryo volunteered. Touma shrugged.

“Touma should join me and Ryo with the other team?” Seiji suggested, looking at Shin and Shu. “What about you two? Do you want to stay or go?”

Touma looked at Ryo, "I'm good with that. How about you?"

"I'm ready.”

Shin shrugged. "I guess we can cover more ground splitting up. What do you think, Shuu?"

"I want to see what we can find out there. But if they need people to guard things, I don't see what would be the harm in doing perimeter checks. Poking around at things not too far from the house to make sure no one tries any fuckin’ monkey business. I don't want to wait for anything out there to come to US, you know. I'm not playing on some video game goblin's playing field." He ruffled Shin’s hair. "You know. In case YOU don't want to go marching into the lion's mouth either."

“Shuten-san.” Kayura said, “I'll do my best to protect you and the others. If anything happened to any of you, I--" Moving to Rajura, covering up tears, "Arigatou, Rajura-san. I will try to meditate, see if I can contact any of the Ancients. Perhaps they know what is happening?" 

Rajura’s face softened into a more serious look. "Any insight they could provide is better than nothing."

"I sincerely hope you all don't kill each other in the meantime," Kayura told the rest of them with a hint of force in her voice.

Suddenly stricken with another set of questions, Shuten inquired, "If this is from a book you read, Touma, is it here? Might it be enchanted? Has the story changed? Are we now in it?" 

Touma shrugged, "I'm not 100% sure. I just know this oil scented dust that is slippery like dreams was mentioned in the book." He paused, "If we go outside and see goblins or a Minotaur, then I'm more inclined to think we're in that story."

“We’ll all have to keep our eyes out,” Seiji said. “I think each pair should pick a direction, and we walk for approximately an hour before returning. If someone’s still missing in four hours, assume something’s gone wrong.”

"Alright, let's do this," he answered, looking less confident than he sounded. “Seiji’s right, we do need to search and find out more about whatever the hell is going on. Eerrr um, remind me what teams we're splitting up as again?"

Ignoring the Masho rolling their eyes, “I’m going with Touma and Anubisu,” Seiji said. “Ryo, you’re with Shuu and Shin. Everyone else is staying here.”

Shuu grinned. "Yeah, buddy! Welcome to team Kick Ass!" He said, wrapping an arm around Ryo's shoulder.

Ryo laughed under Shuu’s weight and snaked his arm around Shuu's shoulder in agreement. "Just like old times. Ready, Shin?"

"Ready to keep you two out of trouble!" Shin retorted.

“We’ll mark what time we leave on a watch as well as your phone if you have it,” Seiji said, checking his watch. “After one hour, turn around and return to the house.” The other Troopers nodded agreements, pulling out their phones.

"That shit's nasty. I'm grabbing my windbreaker," Shuu groused, wrinkling up his nose as he glanced out the window. "Let me just get it, and I'll be ready to go with you guys." Running over to the sofa where he had unceremoniously dropped all his stuff a few hours before, he attempted to disengage the hooded jacket from where he had balled it around his backpack. 

"Oh my GOD, I'm so stupid!" He declared, smacking a hand to his forehead. "Guys! Guys! I got this really cool thing! Sorry, I'd almost completely forgot about it!" He beamed, zipping open a side pocket in his backpack and rummaging around. "My aunty got it for me before I went to America as like a just in case sort of thing, and I kinda just threw it in my backpack and forgot about it, but it'll be totally useful now!" He withdrew a palm-sized contraption in a green plastic case with a clip on the back end. Gleefully he lifted a lever and began turning it rapidly. "Hang on, hang on; it can't possibly have any juice in it..." Suddenly, a beam of white LED light shot out – right at Rajura. "License and registration! You were doing 85 asshole units per minute in a 65 zone!" He chuckled as Rajura cursed his existence.

"Are you trying to render me blind, Kongo?!” He yelled from behind his hands. “Stop pointing that damnable thing in my face and get moving!" Rajura stormed out of the room, hoping to find quiet away from children.

“I’m not quite as well prepared as Shuu,” Seiji said with some amusement. “I have my watch, a water bottle, and a rain jacket, but that’s about it. Touma, Anubisu? Is there anything you want to grab before we leave?” Anubisu shook his head.

Touma ran up the stairs, "I should still have a jacket and an overnight bag up in the guest room we shared for a bit, I'll go get it and see what's inside." 

To Shu, Ryo said, "It looks like your light's going to come in handy tonight, buddy." He slipped into his old raincoat, shrugging his backpack on. "I used this pack when hiking back at home...I'm certain I have my lighter, water bottle, maybe some granola bars...and, I don’t know, stuff?" Ryo scanned the dining table for which weapon to pick.

"With no other weapons to take, there's little else to prepare," Anubisu answered Seiji. "Those who remain behind should prepare blankets and hot tea for our return." He pulled a knife out of his sleeve, handing it to Ryo. It was from Nasuti's kitchen. "Mark the trees as you pass them by. It will help you find your way back in the dark. And for the love of all that's holy, keep quiet. Creatures that hunt in the dark do so more by sound than sight."

"Thanks" Ryo accepted the kitchen knife from Anubisu and slid it into his belt. He also grabbed one of the rusty katana from the table.

Shin's eyes widened with a sudden realization. “Our cars are still here. I have an emergency backpack with rope, a bedroll, a first aid kit, a tinderbox, and a reusable water bottle in there. Shuu, Ryo, I’m ready to go, and we can grab that on our way,” Shin said as he shrugged on his jacket.

"Is there a water reservoir in the house, so we're not drinking dream dust," Shuten cut in. "If it's in the rain, then it's possible in every body of water, even the air. How long until we overdose on this new 'benign' substance? Is it going to make us hallucinate or sleepwalk or fall into comas?” Louder, to the rest, he called. “Consider the possibility that someone like Rajura is running this scene and question everything you see. Is it real? Are you hallucinating? Does anyone else see it with you?

Touma returned from his trek upstairs. "My pack was still up there, the jacket is not," he rummaged around in the pack, "I'll just get wet." He lifted a small flashlight, "The battery's a bit low on this. I do have an empty water bottle in here, too. We could use that to gather more samples or whatever."

“Aright,” Seiji said, “I suppose we’re ready.” Gesturing for Anubisu to precede him out the door. “After you.”

Anubisu looked to Seiji, slightly put off. Why would the Date heir so willingly give up control? Going outside, Anubisu looked around, orienting himself the land. "Korin, Tenku, we will head towards the city, keeping a line with FujiZan. Rekka, Suiko, Kongo, circle around the lake, check it out. Mind the water. We don't know if there's anything new in there. Mark your path and stay together. Understand?"


	3. Chapter 3

Shuu raised a hand in salute. "On my honor, I promise I will do my best to do my duty to the community and the country, and to obey the Scout Laws, to help other people at all times, and to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight," he quoted, his youngest brother was in Scouts after all. "Come on, Ryo, Shin. It's not getting any drier, so we should get moving." Anubisu glared at Shuu before turning away, moving into the rain to get this farce over with.

Touma smirked, then gave Shuu a look, You are so full of it, before he headed out.

Ryo chuckled at Shuu's snarkiness. "Come on, guys, let's go before Shuu gives someone an excuse to shank him.” Ryo held the door open for his pals. "Byakuen, take care of the ladies," he called, just barely hearing the huff as the door closed behind him.

Now, mentally switched into ranger mode, Ryo took the lead. "Okay, guys, #1 thing to remember about rainy hikes is to keep your feet dry, and try avoiding puddles." He pointed out the slope down to the lake. "Oh, and be careful of any muddy slopes, slimy rock, and rain-slickened logs," he added as they picked their way down the slope.

Shuu chuckled, "Way to go, Ranger Rick." But his face belied a hesitation. For all the earthiness of his armor, he avoided adverse weather. The path was slick, but not yet too muddy. No wind, he thought to himself. The straight falling rain, oily as it was, felt like that time he was soaked in olive oil. He grimaced.

"I wonder if anything has changed about the lake." Shin worried, seeing the unnatural movement of the water as they got to the shore. “It looks like this oily stuff is lying on the water.” Could they drink it? And what would that mean for the others back at the house? Would the pipes still work? 

Suddenly, "Guys, there's something in the water," Shin said.

"Like... a fiiiiish?" Shu asked hesitantly. "Or like. A Big Something?"

Shin rolled his eyes at his best friend. "A big something. Why would I be freaked out by a fish?"

Shuu shrugged and whispered back. "Could have been a really impressive fish? I don't know. You got all breathless and excited about that jellyfish that one time and it was a pipsqueak."

"Because turritopsis dohrnii are biologically immortal and can revert back to polyps and grow up again. It's amazing. I can't make out what this creature is. Can either of you?"

Shuu scratched his head. Peering, he attempted to see any movement in the fat film gently undulating over the lake. 

Picking up a generously sized stone from the lake's edge, Ryo declared, "I'm more of a soccer fan...well here goes nothing, YEET!!" He flung the stone towards the center of the lake. The splash was impressive.

Bursting through the oily film of the lake was the biggest centipede any of them had ever seen. Its head alone was 3 feet wide, with a carapace ghostly and semi-transparent. Its shriek was deafening. 

Shuu jumped out of the way as the massive pincers came at him. Swinging back around, he brought the mace down on the creature. Its head bounced on the muddy ground, shrieking again.

Shin grabbed his Bowie knife from his pack and swiped at the monstrous creature. He missed as it swung around to Ryo.

"Dude! Why is this creepy crawlie so difficult to kill?!" Ryo pulled the kitchen knife from his belt, throwing it at the bug. He dashed in as the blade bounced off the exoskeleton, his katana slashing the ghostipede. Eerie juices splashed out of the creature as flung itself around, throwing Ryo through the air. 

"Hey! Get off him!" Shuu growled, swinging at the many-legged devil again, sending it back.

Shin ran up and stabbed it. "Hurry up and die!" He thrust his knife squarely between the plates of its chitin. It recoiled from the pain, screaming and throwing Shin off.

"Itai! The damn thing nipped me." Ryo grasped his sword two-handed and aimed for the bug's neck. With one mighty swing, Ryo hacked straight through the creature's neck and severed it from the body. With the creature's last breath, it shrieks a terrible, metallic sound before dropping to the ground, writhing. 

As they watch the writhing body, a strange, bell-like ringing sound pealed. From the depths of the lake, large koi fish emerged. Vibrantly colored, but, like the Ghostipede, semi-translucent. Swimming through the air, a red, orange, and light blue fish approached each of the Troopers, staring intensely into their eyes.

Backing up, Shuu shivered, "Oh god. More ghosts. Oh, what the fuck oh what the fuck oh what the fuck," he muttered under his breath.

Shin patted his friend on the shoulder in reassurance and stared intently at the light blue koi. He feels strangely drawn to it. "They're fish. Maybe they're friendly."

"You're the marine biologist, not us...though I do agree something feels familiar." Ryo held defense ready for any possible surprises. They watched as the last iridescent fish swam away.

Within the blink of an eye, the koi rushed towards them, dissipating into pure color. They plunged into their chests suddenly, shocking each Trooper. They glowed with the light of their armor and felt a version of it coursing through their veins. 

Shuu flexed his fingers, feeling the new power and wholeness coursing through him. He smiled at Ryo, who was looking at his own hands, “It is not our true armor, but maybe, an approximation of it? We should – SHIN!”

They both turned to see Shin writhing, entirely consumed in a bright cyan light. His human silhouette distorted, contorted, stretched, and... Ultimately shrank. When the color faded away, all that was left behind was... Another koi, bright blue, with a blue disc spot on its forehead.

"Shin! Oh my god, SHIN!?" Shuu screamed, fruitlessly trying to grasp Shin in his hands. He was a fish! 

Ryo raced over, one hand reaching for Shin, the other grabbing Shuu’s arm to stop his flailing. Neither Ryo nor Shuu could catch him, their hands passing straight through his body.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Shu cried. “Fish need to get the… the water, or he’ll die!” He was still trying to grab Shin, and trying to throw off Ryo at the same time.

Ryo immaturely burst out laughing at Shuu's stubborn attempts at picking up Shin, who is flopping away. "Shin, can you wag a fin or do a flip or something letting us know if you understand us?" He asked, getting ahold of himself.

“WHAT!?” Shuu screamed.

And just like that, the fish stopped flopping around and looked right at Ryo. "What? Of course, I understand you. Why do you want me to do acrobatics? Shuu! Calm down. What is wrong with you two?" Shin looked at himself. "Where is my body?"

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, buddy...but umm, you seemed to have become even closer to your passions of the sea."

Shuu bellowed, "Ryo! I don't know what you think is so fucking funny right now, dude! What if he suffocates! Help me! Shin! Be a good fish and stop- uuuuuugh,” Shin tried to flop away again. “You're worse than that octopus at the bamboo market!!!" He yelled, nearly crying in frustration.

Ryo grabbed Shuu by the shoulders, "Shin says to cool it, buddy."

Shin awkwardly flew behind Ryo, escaping from a frantic Shuu. "Shuu, can't you understand me?" Getting no response, Shin glides in front of him. "SHUU!"

Shuu reached out to gently scoop Shin up, which proved to be just as useless as his frantic grasping. He scrubbed at his eyes, blinking back tears, "Man... you're a fuckin' fish. Can you like, understand me? Or are you like, dumb as a normal fish now?" Shuu asked, calming down and noticing Shin was not gasping for air… err water.

With a somber look, Ryo asked, "You can't hear him, can you? Shin said he's fine...albeit a little more vertically challenged, but he's still Shin."

"I'll have you know some fish are extremely intelligent. They can use tools and have excellent--wait? Shuu can't understand me?"

The gaping sort of expression Shuu threw at Ryo made him look even more like a fish than Shin, who was a literal fish. "Wha-? Dude, have you been like, a ghost whisperer this whole damn time?"

"Ummm, no?" Ryo responded, unsure.

"I'm alive, Shuu, just changed."

"Shin said he's alive...just changed."

Shin sulked to Ryo. "So now what should we do? Has it been an hour? Should we meet up with the others?"

"Oh," Shuu said, soft as a whisper before dropping on his back in the slick grass. "Ok," he replied, too tired for this.

Ryo held out a reassuring hand to lift Shuu. "Let's head back to the house, maybe Touma or Nasuti will know something. I’m curious if anyone else might have transformed...who knows, maybe Naaza is now a snake and Anubisu a mongoose.”

Shuu laughed as he forced himself back up to his feet. "Yeah, man. You be the adult until we get back. I'm punching out. Lead on, Ranger Rick. Come on, Shin." He tried to pat Shin-fish on the head, but his hand passed through. 

Ryo found his trail and led the group through the rain back to the mansion. Shuu kept his eyes flashing between his footing and Shin, who was now comfortably bobbing between them. He looked from Shuu to Ryo a few times before asking, “So, tofu for dinner, huh?”

Ryo’s laughter caused his footing to give out, and he ended up on his butt in the mud. Still laughing, he relayed Shin’s smart-aleck question as Shin floated around Shuu with a fishy smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Watching the others walk to the lake, Seiji said, “Well, the city is this way,” He started walking forward towards the city. The other two followed, keeping just behind. 

Touma squinted in the darkness before turning the cheap old flashlight back on, keeping the dim light to the ground. He devoutly ignored the squelching sound the mud made around his tennis shoes. 

Anubisu suddenly stopped, seeing movement off to the right. As he waited, barely breathing, he could see something in the distance. It was not of the shadows, far too bright for that. 

It was moving. 

Whether it moved with them or away, it was something far too large and far too colorful to be natural, or at least of the real world. As the others noticed he stopped, Anubisu whispered, "Korin, here with me. Tenku, watch our back. Something's here." Touma gave a nod and readied the bow as Seiji moved closer, hefting the mace to ready.

As they moved closer to the thicker tree line, Anubisu bent down to look at the track in the mud. "Have either of you seen anything like this before?" He asked quietly.

Seiji peered through the darkness to assess the trail his Masho counterpart pointed out. The tracks were long and very thin. The blades of grass and the damp earth were pushed to either side like a painter took his brush to the ground. Each mark is very thin, probably no more than a few centimeters wide. An animal? He thought, but there are no other tracks.

“These weren’t made by any animal I’ve ever seen,” Seiji said in concern. “If it’s an animal…”

"Let me try," Touma turned the light onto the tracks. Maybe something with a tool made this? 

"Yeah, that's no animal." He moved the light, "It looks like something sentient." Looking from Anubisu to Seiji, "To semi-quote an old movie, 'I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore.' We better be extra alert."

Seiji closed his eyes, concentrating on the forest around them. He could hear the distant sloshing sounds of... something, and there was more than one set of footsteps! “They’re coming!” He said quietly, but full of urgency.

“I see them,” Anubisu answered as Touma suddenly looked up. Touma backed up a few steps, pocketing his light and readying his bow. 

“Yokai,” Seiji calls out sharply. “Oil thieves called Abura-sumashi.” He recognized the short, squat, and grey-skinned bald humanoids carrying what looked like a walking stick. Their bodies appeared covered in straw. “We don’t want to fight,” he calls to them, “but we will defend ourselves. We can part peacefully, and would even appreciate a chance to talk.”

Anubisu snorted at Seiji's warning, readying himself for the attack. He twisted his wrists, and two knives drop down to his hands. 

One of the creatures hissed and lunged forward. Touma pulled back his arrow, intending a warning shot. He did not intend to nearly bury his arrow in Seiji’s leg, but it managed to land just in front of the yokai, stopping its progress.

Another jumped over the arrow, and Anubisu darted forward. Lodging one knife in its shoulder, he threw the creature back to its comrades. They started screaming obscenities in ancient Japanese.

Seiji gasped at the vulgarity, equally shocked at Anubisu’s muttered reply in the same. He nearly missed it as the yokai scuttled up to him, but he brought the mace down swiftly, tossing the creature back nearly four yards. 

“Baseball?” Touma yelled, readying another arrow. He pulled back, adjusting his grip, and loosed. This arrow buried deep in the forehead of the yokai. It comically rolled its eyes up before tumbling over backward. 

“Nice.” Seiji said over the screams of the other two yokai, “And yes.” They could almost hear Anubisu rolling his eyes.

The next yokai launched itself at Anubisu, screaming obscenities over its fallen comrade. He deflected the attack, but failed to get in one of his own as the other was sent flying, struck dead by Seiji’s mace. Touma placed one more good shot, and the final yokai was defeated.

The abura-sumashi defeated, and the forest grew quiet once more, save for the pitter-patter of oily raindrops. They scanned the woods, looking for more of the creatures.

Far in the distance, something glints, colorful and floating… a school of ghostly koi. One deep sapphire, one emerald, and one cherry red spirit koi broke from their school and dove into the chests of the warriors bursting with colored light. With no time to prepare, they could only try to shield themselves fruitlessly. 

Seiji blinked, pressing his free hand to his chest where the emerald koi had entered him. When he looked around, mind instinctively straining for his old armor enhanced senses, Seiji felt a wave of calm rush over him and knew that, for the moment, all was well. “I think... We should go back,” he said. “We need to tell the others about this right away.”

Touma took a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah, let's get back... but first..." He took his phone out and snapped a photo of the first yokai he killed. "This way, the others know what to be on the lookout for." 

Anubisu put his knives away, taking a final look around, yet seeing nothing. All three quietly walked back to the house, keeping an eye out for any other attackers. Just before entering the house, Anubisu saw the other group coming up the hill to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Shuten slipped away from his post to the kitchen. He went right for the bottles set out for cooking. Grabbing a distinctive bottle, he snatched it up along with a glass and poured enough for two to three healthy servings. The burn going down was beautiful. Repeating, his nervous energy finally dulled, along with a bit of reality. 

Pushing the empty glass against the wall, he tried to decipher where his armor was. Corking the sake bottle, he clutched it to his chest, inwardly vowing to kill whoever took his armor. 

As cruelly as he could imagine, he visualized the horrible fates for whatever had robbed him. An evil little smile graced his features. 

"Shuten Doji, is that a dagger in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" Rajura drolled from behind him. 

Shuten smirked toward Rajura. "I don't know how the rest of you handle castration, but I get a little upset." He freed the bottle from within his robes and showed it to his friend. "If I have to be back in a realm of death and decaying armor, I'm going to go back to living off this." He dropped it back into his pocket and dared Rajura to try and talk him out of it with a glare that revealed the touch of madness he was tamping down.

Rajura's mirth faded. As it doesn’t put my Lady Ancient or anyone else in danger… Turning back to Nasuti, "Yagyu-san, have you another umbrella available? I would like to start working on the barrier, but it would be preferable not to get this 'dream dust' substance on me if possible."

By her best estimates, divided between all of them, they might have enough for three full days of food at three meals a day. More, if we ration… Nasuti thought.

"Hmm? Oh!" Nasuti's surprise caused Rajura to bow slightly, and she blushed. "There should be one or two more in the closet by the front door!" She forgot about those when Ryo asked.

After thanking her, it took longer for him to figure out how to unfurl the umbrella than it did to find it. Finding Kayura and muttering a few choice curses about the young cat decoration, he asked, "Lady Kayura, will you be assisting me?" 

She sighed and raised her head in her hands. "Hai, Rajura-san." Scooping up the staff, Kayura brushed herself off and followed him outside. 

Rajura waited for her under the porch's overhang and keeping his gaze out towards the tree line. "Normally, I would suggest splitting up to finish our work more quickly, but I'm not about to take that sort of chance right now. If you agree, one of us can concentrate on raising the barrier while the other keeps watch. I'm not terribly fond of the idea of being left open to attack in unfamiliar territory." 

"I'd rather we stay together as well,” Kayura affirmed in a voice far more confident than she felt. “At least the others left in groups of three. We're at such a disadvantage here. Even one wrong step might cause serious harm. I could start raising the barrier if you wish." 

"Agreed," he responded, leading them into the rain. He gave a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm starting to regret agreeing that we ought to come to this meeting unarmed to prevent any...hostilities. Don't tell Anubisu I admitted as much though; I'll never hear the end of it."

Kayura giggled behind her long sleeve. "It seems fate has other plans for us, I'm sad to say. I had hoped that, perhaps, this meeting wouldn't have resulted in something like this. But, I promise I won't tell Anubisu." The priestess knelt near Rajura, concentrating on erecting a barrier.

Back at the house, Shuten returned to the kitchen, having no other plan or purpose. He inclined his head toward a distracted Nasuti, "What would you have me do?" He breathed near her ear.

Nasuti jumped, clutching her chest. "Oh! Shuten! You startled me, haha." She blushed before rapidly forcing composure. "You could keep me company, honestly. I'm trying to count all these cans of food. I know Shuu will want at least three or four to himself, but then we'd run out of food too quickly, wouldn't we?” She stopped, knowing she was now babbling. “How are you holding up?" She touched his shoulder gently.

Shuten looked to Nasuti's hand on his shoulder. The altered state from the sake stopped him from flinching or grabbing her wrist. "I'm terribly sorry for startling you. I've just been feeling so detached...from everything. I just don't feel quite myself. Arago would have punished me by now. I suppose I'm unconsciously trying to anger you," he added with a mischievous smirk. 

"I'm sorry, Shuten. Is there anything I can do to help?”

He looked to the cans, "I don't need to eat much of anything. It's actually better if I don't. I'll just raid your stockpile of sake; please tell me you buy in bulk." 

Not sure if he was joking or not, she ignored that. “It's... so nice to have you back with us, but it must be difficult for you." She picked up a can of beans. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you hate beans, don't you? You have to eat. I insist. I'll just make sure none of these get into your food, okay?" She handed him several cans, including the beans, to take into the kitchen.

Shuten gave the can of beans a look to melt it. "They're not my favorite," he growled. “I'll just take half of whatever I'm given and hand the rest to Shuu or whoever needs it more. I'm better off with a deficit; it keeps me...wild," he added with a smirk, moving off.

"SHUTEN!! SHUTEN!!" Nasuti suddenly shrieked. 

Rushing back to the kitchen, he found Nasuti perched on the counter, throwing canned vegetables at something on the floor. "SHUTEN! HELP! KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!" 

Large, semi-translucent roach creature with human arms and hands reached up, grabbing at Nasuti. They could almost reach the edge of the counter.

Freeing the hidden dagger from under his robes, Shuten threw it, scraping its back. Now, the ugly thing faced him, while its two companions reached up for Nasuti, one scraping the dishwasher trying to find handholds.

"Yagyu-san??" Rajura called from the entranceway. 

"Yagyu-san!" Kayura darted in the kitchen, facing two ghostly creatures now coming at her. "Oh, no, nonononono!"

Rajura pushed her back, unsheathing his dagger, bringing down on one of the human-faced ghost roaches, and it screamed, just like a person. The other jumped back, refocusing on Kayura.

With a sneer, Rajura continued swiping at the roach in front of him, dodging when the creature swung around to attack. He drove his dagger into its neck, ending its life. The screams died miserably as it curled in on itself, writhing, before turning into ash – only the blade remaining behind.

The other creatures shrieked at Rajura and Shuten, angry at the loss. Shuten lashed out with his foot, kicking the creature into the wall. Its long and skinny legs kicked wildly as it flipped itself back over.

Turning, Rajura snarled, this disgusting creature dared to try to touch him?! It would soon learn the mistake it had made, oh yes... but as he turned, pain in his side told him he did not dodge as efficiently as he thought. 

The others leaped at the Masho, clawing at the air. Shuten raised a leg and lunged forward to stomp one's head in. He laughed as it shrieked, curling into itself, and dying. 

Rajura viciously slashed the final roach, gouging out its one eye and ending its life. He turned back to Kayura, seeing her safe, but scared. He caught Shuten’s attention, drawing him from fantasies of cruelty, to help Nasuti.

"What's all the shouting about down- oh. Lovely." Naaza came in finally, a book in hand. "Do leave me a sample." 

Several loud thumps and a screech preceded a roar ripping through the house. Byakuen tossed the final roach down the stairs like a doll. It bounced across the kitchen, losing parts, only to turn to dust, along with the others.

Byakuen padded up next to Naaza and sat down, licking his paw. I killed it for you, his eyes seemed to say. Naaza glared at the fading dust.

Rajura leaned heavily on the table, grasping at his wound, before dropping into the nearest chair with an uncharacteristic lack of grace. "Is that all of them? Please let that be all of them..."

Naaza glowered at the tiger. "I just asked you if you'd leave me a sample. You'd make a terrible apprentice." He groaned. "Well, I suppose I'll have to see what I can learn from the dust. It was difficult to study the behavior of the one upstairs because it was facing against the white tiger and so couldn't act naturally... Rajura, you look like the tiger was toying with you this whole time."

Coming out of her stupor, "Rajura-san!" Kayura cried, and she rushed to him. He's done so much... "Naaza-san, surely you must have some bandages? Shuten-san and Yagyu-san, are you alright?" 

Suddenly, several colorful lights began to appear through the ceiling as Kayura tended to Rajura and Nasuti to Shuten. One by one, they turned their attention to the ceiling, watching the ghostly fish. 

Byakuen, being somewhat of a spiritual creature himself, did not seem agitated, instead watching them as they floated down. A brown, pink, purple, yellow, and wine-colored koi swam through the air and down to the warriors below. The wine-colored fish hovered above Rajura, semi-transparent, and completely silent. It stared deeply into his blue eye before diving into his chest, erupting into a beautiful light. 

A purple and brown fish did the same with Kayura and Naaza. The pink and yellow deviated to Nasuti and Shuten. She was startled to see it and brandished a frying pan against the koi. "Oh no, you don't! You leave me, Shuten, and my mansion alon--!" Before she could swing at it, the koi burst into pink light and entered her chest. Nasuti dropped the pan immediately. Shuten tried to grab at the yellow koi before it dove into his chest. 

Naaza blinked slightly. "Well... that wasn't... unpleasant." He said, flexing his hand slightly. "We'll just have to see what happens. Clearly, whatever that was didn't heal you." He added, reaching into a pouch at his waist and digging around for his supplies. "No need to rip up your clothes, Ojo-Sama." He said to Kayura. "I have linens that were boiled, as well as a poultice that will sting horribly." He looked at Rajura, daring to smile at the Masho who had been high and mighty over him for centuries. "The sting is how you know it works."

Rajura shot the warlord of venom a narrowed glare. "Just hurry up and get it over with. We still need to raise the spiritual barrier." He exposed his wound for tending, bracing himself for the pain he knew was to come.

Naaza chuckled slightly as he dipped his hand into the jar of poultice he pulled from his bag. He pressed the paste to the injury… As amusing as it was to have Rajura taken down a peg, he was struck with the sudden concern, In this place, how long would his medicines actually last? What would they do if they were seriously injured? He fervently wished the injury would just go away…

The light that emitted from Naaza’s hands as he touched Rajura’s wound surprised everyone. Rajura felt this light was warm and soothing - two things not usually associated with Naaza. They watched the light seep into the deep cuts on Rajura’s body, stitching themselves together to heal without as much as a scar. Rajura was near-perfect again, no poultice needed.

Rajura blinked. Then blinked again. "What...How did you do that?!" He gazed down at his wound, noticing that it was more or less gone. With a bewildered expression, he raised his head to Naaza. “The pain is gone, and the poultice didn't stinging like it normally would.”

Naaza just blinked back. "Fascinating." He paused momentarily, crouching down to inspect the site of the injury, his nose was nearly touching Rajura. "The skin is closed, and there doesn't appear to be a scar... just some discoloration typical with a bruise of about... eight or nine days... ... ... Does this hurt?" He asked, smacking the site of the wound.

Naaza saw the suddenly balled fist Rajura made before visibly calming himself. "No more than I would expect it to.” Rajura ground out. “I suppose I ought to be grateful something is going our way today." He then neatly tucked his clothes back into place, signaling the end of Naaza's 'experimentation.' "If no one else requires your new miraculous healing prowess, I'd like to get back to work on the shielding. The sooner we have a bubble of safety against these...intrusions, the better."

“It’s not finished?” Shuten demanded.

Kayura shook her head. “We were just getting it started when we heard Yagyu-san scream. We came right in.” 

Looking to Nasutei, Shuten ignored what Rajura was about to say and inquired, "How do you feel?"

"...yes,” she nodded slowly, “I think so. I thought, maybe... that the fish was trying to attack uh, but... It's gone?" She looked at Kayura and Rajura, then to Shuten, "Are you alright, Shuten? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Shuten laughed at the first direct question. "I pondered the likelihood of being possessed by demons in this dream world. And now I've got a fish ghost inside that feels like my armor." He laughed longer and louder. "Is this a land ruled by fish demons? If we find some we can really eat, do we get stronger? Will Shin be our go-between or Shuu, because he'll have devoured more?" He looked to his dagger while laughing, then idly walked over and picked it up. "The insects were a test, and we passed it. What the hell is our next test going to be?" He re-sheathed his dagger and looked intently at Nasuti.

Rajura stepped between Shuten and the women, which made Shuten snap back to himself. Seeing this, he turned to Nasuti but kept an eye on Shuten. “Do you feel the same, Yagyu-san, as if something returned to you?”

“Yes, I think so…” She trailed off. “Let’s see what the others have to say when they get back.”

“Yes,” Kayura agreed. “We need some time to come to grips with what we feel before we can talk about it.”

"If you're ready, then, Lady Kayura, I suggest we get back to work. If everything around here is some sort of ghostly phenomenon, our barrier could prove invaluable in providing us with a safe place." They made his way back outside to continue with the spiritual barrier, staying closer to the house.


	6. Chapter 6

The sudden slam of the front door had Rajura jump to his feet, weapon in hand. 

"Okay. Yes,” Touma huffed. “There is some weird shit going on out there.” He held the door open for Seiji and Anubisu, surprising the latter.

Seeing Tenku, Rajura set his dagger down again. The tea kettle set on the table behind him waited as the crackle of fire began turning into a blaze.

“We ran into some yokai while we scouted,” Touma declared, “We defeated them, and I have a photo of what they look like so you guys can see." 

"We were attacked too,” Shuten announced, coming down the stairs with a pile of blankets and towels – one trailed on the floor behind him. Dropping them near the door, he smirked at the picture as Touma explained their encounter. “Ours were roach-sphinxes. But the only riddle they gave was themselves. I take it you met some divine carp?"

“Koi fish,” Seiji nodded as he watched Anubisu grab a towel and blanket before moving off to the corner. Grimacing slightly, Seiji took his muddy boots off, as well as his wet jacket. “Ghostly ones that flew into us after we battled three abura-sumashi.”

"It felt bizarre… Wait!” Eyes suddenly wide, Touma’s panic for the others bled out, “You guys were attacked while we were out? Is everyone alright?" 

Rajura waved him off, though he didn't turn to face any of them. "Everyone is fine. Shuten and I took care of it, and the barrier is in place. We should be protected from any more attacks here." He tucked the bloodied portion of his kimono deeper into the folds as he poked the fire.

Entering, Nasuti breathed a massive sigh seeing them. “I’m glad you’re alright. You don’t believe the bugs that showed up here, but Shuten and the others took care of them.” She beamed at Shuten. “They... turned into dust. Very creepy. I’ve never seen anything like them.” 

"Are the trees solid?” Shuten turned to Touma and Seiji, “Is the ground?" the last question asked a little too high pitched.

"Everything is solid – if rather wet," Touma looked at Shuten concerned, but not understanding. "Alright, so there's bugs, and there are these yokai." He fished his phone from his back pocket and showed the photo of the Abura-Sumashi to Shuten, who frowned.

Crash, "Sup!?" Shuu growled as Rajura flinched. "Fuck this place! Fuck this rain! Fuck me for being here!" Ignoring Rajura’s pointed glare, Shuu continued, "So, I guess there are giant fucking centipedes in the lake. I'm covered in fucking bug guts; I've got sky lube in places my doctor hasn't even explored, oh, and SHIN TURNED INTO A FUCKING FISH! I'm cold and hungry and tired, and can someone answer me as to if the hose on the porch works so I can rinse myself off before I come indoors PLEASE AND THANK YOU!?"

"Shuu!” Shin flicked his tail angrily at Shuu. “For the last time, will you please calm down and quit the profanity? How do you think I feel? Just because I love the ocean and swimming does not mean I wanted to look like this! Ryo!” He swam up to him, “Please translate for me!" 

Touma just stared. "What even...?"

Ryo pulled his head out of his muddy shirt, letting it plop on the floor. To Shuu, "Shin says to watch your language, you're upsetting him."

"Since when do you speak to fish?" Touma cocked his head.

Fighting with his pants, Ryo answered, "As of 20 min ago, I guess." 

Shuten, shocked silent by the ensuing tirade of slights, reached out to the floating bright blue koi. "So, this is the riddle...?" he wondered aloud.

Seiji shoved Shuu back outside. “There should be some water in the hose if you want to rise off.” He snapped. “Otherwise, just come inside and change clothes. And try to remember not to flash Kayura or Nasuti?”

Shuu stumbled, out the door. "Dude! I've got little sisters who do you take me for?" He emphatically gestured to Ryo, now trying to make his way to the stairs unchastised.

“Oh, believe me, he’s next.” Folding his arms, Seiji jumped in front of Ryo. The pointed look cause Ryo to put up his hands.

"What?" Ryo paused, trying to get around Seiji's stern look.

"How do we know the water in the hose isn’t oil?" Touma wondered.

“Whatever was originally in the pipes should still be there. Once it’s gone, though...” Seiji answered, pointing to the blankets and towels emphatically.

"Holy... cow... that was cold," Shuu yelled as he returned, with Shin flicking his tail angrily. "At least I got the chunky kibbles of bug meat off. I'm gonna try not to track in any more of this crappy rain stuff than I gotta," He bounded past Seiji to head upstairs to try to find some older clothes of his that he left behind.

Sighing in frustration, Seiji pinched the bridge of his nose. “There are towels here. Jackets. Robes. Instead of leaving your clothes in a dirty, muddy heap outside, did it even occur to you to ask for help? To have someone help you bag the clothes up so they can be brought inside and some sort of covering fetched for you?” Seiji lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Nasuti may not care if you wander around in your underthings, but Kayura will.” He hissed, trying not to catch the attention of Rajura sitting only a few feet away. “She’s essentially a child with very protective guardians.” He pointed upstairs. “Go get cleaned up. Get dressed. And think next time before Rajura and the other Masho decide you need to be taught a lesson in manners.” Thoroughly annoyed, Seiji stepped aside so Ryo could pass by. 

Before heading upstairs to change himself, Seiji grabbed Ryo’s discarded clothing and dumped them on his jacket. He tied up the sleeves, so the mess was on the inside, then disappeared upstairs himself to change.

Shin sighed in relief and murmured, "Thank you, Seiji."

"Umm, right...sorry." Heeding Seiji's scolding, Ryo wrapped a towel around himself and scurried up the stairs. 

Touma dripped at the front door, looking out into space. "We all got attacked by something different, and have been graced by Koi Spirits or something. Shin can turn into a fish, and Ryo speaks animal. Is there anything that I missed?"

Nasuti came in at that moment, "Shuu! Could you stop with the-- oh no. Oh, oh, Shin! What happened--- Wait, I have a fishbowl!" She bolted up the stairs, slipping once, and ignoring the calls behind her. Poor ghost-fish Shin needs water! Why didn’t anyone help him!

Sighing again, Shuten turned to Touma, "Naaza will want some gore samples. I hope he doesn't eat them. Our attackers turned to dream dust when they died." 

"Same happened to ours."

Slipping down the stairs with a fishbowl of water, Nasuti cried "Shuu! Quick, put Shin in this bowl!” Upstairs, Ryo darted from one bedroom to another, almost as red as his armor.

Shuu thundered down after Nasuti, "He's fine! He's apparently a ghost fish? So he doesn't breathe in this shape?" He caught up to her, grabbing her arm gently to stop the frantic pace, “It’s fine.” He pointed to Shin, who swam over. “See, he’s good.” 

She looked from Shuu to Shin to the fishbowl, and Shuu took it from her fingers before it fell. “You’re really okay?” She asked. Shin nodded as Nasuti sagged to sit on the stairs. 

Shuu put the bowl down on the table then laughed, "I didn't have a lot of clothes left here, seeing as I collected most my stuff before I went to America last year. But I found these sweats." He indicated the grey, hole-riddled pants. "And uuuugh, HEY TOUMA." He poked at the graphic of the Doom shirt distorted over his chest. "Yeah, I found an old shirt of yours. I'm confiscating it so that you all don't have to be subject to my nipples. But after I stretch it out, I dunno how well it's going to fit you anymore."

Touma blinked as he turned around. "Oh, that's where I left that shirt! Hold up that fits you?" 

"Um. I'm not being suffocated in it but, yeah, it's a bit of a second skin man. I'm gonna try not to flex like a beast. I don't want to do QA on these seams." He chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure it'll never fit me again." Touma sighed, "But hey, maybe mom'll know a way to shrink it? She knew how to fix my Street Fighter shirt." 

The soft whistle rising into a crescendo roused Rajura from his internal thoughts, and he set the kettle aside. Another dirty look was shot Shuu's way at his clothes. What was wrong with these children?! "Yagyu-san, would you be kind enough as to retrieve what I'll need to finish this tea?"

“I shall,” Nasuti breathed a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen. As she was arranging a woven basket full of different tea bags, she smiled at Shuten. 

Seiji descended the stairs looking quite put together in his dress shirt and trousers. His mouth fell open at the sight of Shuu, but, with a shake of his head, he pushed past without saying anything.

Returning with a basket of tea, Nasuti poked a few of the individual bags. "I've grabbed quite a few different teas for you. I wasn't sure which ones you might have wanted." 

Kayura bounced over. "There must be something else I could do. The barrier is up, but the oily rain... Ah, Yagyu-san, do you have a washboard? I could help with the laundry!" She looked nervously at Rajura. "With enough soap and a clothesline, we could set something up on the porch?" 

Nasuti shook her head. "Absolutely not. I want to make sure everyone is safe, and their wounds are treated. These boys can do their own laundry. Right, boys?" She said pointedly, while Kayura tilted her head. 

Touma smiled at Kayura, "Trust me. You do not want to do our laundry.” But, Kayura still had a confused look. Pointing towards Shuu and Ryo, now appropriately dressed in clean clothes, he gave a wink. 

"Heeeyyy, I don't leave skid marks if that's what you're inferring," Ryo protested.

Shuu held his hands up, "What in the San Francisco fuck?" Shin hovered in the corner, glaring daggers at Ryo and Shuu. "So vulgar."

Kayura lifted a hand as if to be granted permission before asking a question, "Ah, Rekka-san, what is a skid mark?" 

“Of course, Nasuti,” Seiji quickly replied, cutting off that line of conversation. “We can start that after we review what’s transpired. It seems we’ve all gone through something... Especially Shin. We need a way to return him to human form and to figure out what those spirit koi have done to us. And that, Lady Kayura, is where your knowledge and spiritual training will be invaluable.” Kayura beamed.

Rajura stared, his brow furrowed. "What..." As he took the basket from Nasuti, but he couldn't stop staring at it. "What is...Oh, what is that blasted phrase...Kongo!" He finally tore his eye away from his new bundle. "What is the phrase you use to express bewilderment? It was something crude that Suiko disapproved of."

Shuu nearly squeaked out, "What in the San Francisco fuck?" 

"That's the one." He looked back at Nasuti, not repeating the phrase. "I mean no disrespect, Yagyu-san, but are you having financial difficulty? I can't imagine dried crumbs are what constitute as appropriate for making tea unless one was poverty-stricken." Despite his usual mockery of the Troopers and his fellow Masho, the warlord seemed genuine in his questioning.

Shuu laughed a bit too loud, knowing what Rajura just unleashed. "Don't worry about it.” He patted Kayura on the head. “Still, you don't have to wash our clothes. They got gross and covered in bug guts, and I'd rather just take care of it. Besides, leave that grunt work to me and Ryo. It'd mean a lot to me if you could help figure out how to turn my buddy back into a human. I think that'd be pretty important rather than getting dishpan hands with me and ChuckleBrain." he gave her a reassuring, lopsided grin. 

Ryo opened his mouth, prepared to tell Kayura the whole truth, but was cut off by a tone that could freeze the Troopers.

"Unfortunately,” Nasuti said and watched most of the Troopers stiffen and take a step back. Rajura felt the bottom drop out of his stomach at the sight, “all of my loose-leaf has been used up. All we have are these... plebian crumbs." 

Touma shook, both with the tension and from the oily rain. “Shuu, did you notice if any of my other clothes are up there while you went through our stuff?" He smiled a bit too wide, "Or just my Doom shirt that makes you look like the Incredible Hulk?" He ran up the stairs, the others looking like they wanted to follow.

Continuing, Nasuti said, "I don't suppose you boys saw the city while you were out there, did you? If it's still there, that's a good sign. If not... well..." She seemed to deflate.

Rajura breathed a sigh of relief when Nasuti redirected her attention. She was formidable in the war. "I understand, Yagyu-san.” He said, head down. “We must make do with what we have," Rajura then tucked the basket under one arm as he went back to the fireplace to tend to the tea, picking out the simplest one he could find: green tea. After setting the rest aside, he pulled out a ribbon from his sleeve and tied back his long hair before setting to work.

Another woman found the mettle to deal with men, "Do not forget, Kongo-san, I was, and still am, a warrior as well.” Kayura stated. “A few entrails wouldn't bother me, but I appreciate your concern nonetheless." She didn't understand dishpan hands or chucklebrain but thought Kongo seemed polite in his own way. "I will meditate on this predicament Suiko-san seems to have found himself in.” She made her way to the fireplace. “Rajura-san, you don't mind me sitting here, do you?" Kayura smoothed her robes before closing her eyes, seeking out the wisdom of the Ancients.

"No, Kayura-Sama, I don't mind." He intoned, partially lost in thought with the tea.

The murmuring of conversations and the crackling of the fire soon faded away as Kayura's mind sank further and further into her meditation. Surely there must be some wisdom my clan could bestow upon at a time like this. None of them knew precisely where, or even when they might be. The electricity powering the house no longer worked. As someone earlier had stated, there was a limited water supply in "pipes." 

Naaza may have imbibed the oily rain and survived, but that had no bearing on whether others could do the same. My forefather, what wisdom can you grant me? We need your help. We are trapped somewhere else, and the armors have been removed from us. Do you know where they are? Can you help us? 

The tea kettle's shrill song did even not awaken her from her dreamlike state. Then, suddenly, "Oh! Suiko-san, you should be--" 

Blinded by a sudden warm blue light, there was a pop -- thud. Shin now lay on the floor, wholly human, rubbing his head. "I'm never eating fish again after we get through this. Not even goldfish crackers." He smiled up at Lady Kayura, "Kayura-san, you were about to say something?"

Touma kneeled to Shin, "...You okay?" He was sure the answer was 'I don't know,' but he still wanted to check. Hell, Shin was a fish and now human again, that had to be weird.

Shuu bellowed. "HAHA! You're not a fish anymore!" He cheered, hauling Shin back up to his feet. Fairly sure that he, himself, probably would also have trouble looking fish in the eye before he cut their heads off for dinner. "Thank you, Kayura." He said, ruffling her hair the way he often did to Shin and his siblings. "We really owe you one for getting Shin back in the right shape!" Belatedly, he thought he should have remembered to keep a respectful distance between himself and her to avoid the ire of the other Masho. But right now, he was far too thrilled with the universe ticking back closer to normal to remember not to express his gratitude with affection.

The young Ancient looked bewildered, though relieved. “Ah, Kongo-san, to be frank, I did nothing.” She smiled at his enthusiasm, regardless. “I cannot take credit for this.” She waved to the rooftop, as in encompassing the heavens themselves. “I could hear him briefly. Kaosu-sama that is. His voice was not as clear as speaking with you; however... he said, Suiko should be restored soon. And, well... It’s good to have you back, Suiko-san.”

Fortunately for Shuu's wrist, Rajura hadn't been paying close enough attention, and the gesture happened to be on his blind side. The tea had steeped sufficiently, and, once cups had been acquired, the Masho poured enough for all. He set one down in front of Kayura, where she knelt beside him, then balanced a teacup in each hand and on his wrist, got to his feet. He gave Shin a cursory glance, nodded approvingly, and then left to find Naaza and Anubisu. 

Returning from the cellars, checking supplies, weapons, and anything out of the ordinary, Shuten caught sight of Rajura with several cups of tea. Shuten followed. 

"Here,” Rajura said, catching Anubisu and Naaza’s attention. “If you have complaints about it, you can take it up with Yagyu-san." He offered one of the steaming cups of tea to the Anubisu. Rajura hesitated, bothered that the Winter Masho was kneeling on the floor, apparently shivering under a blanket. 

Shuten cut him off, clicking the door shut. "Now that we're alone," he said with a wink to Rajura, "I think we should talk." Without waiting for any replies, he strode over to Anubisu and leaned over him slowly and steadily as he glared down into his eyes. "I've noticed how you've been," he paused to think of the word, "bitching at every one since we woke up. It's as if you think no one's going to stand up to an angry mutt." 

He deliberately grabbed the smaller man by his shoulders and pulled him to his feet, daring Anubisu to hit him just like he'd done when they dragged him back to Arago. He was wide open, eyes dancing with malicious intent.

Anubisu pulled back, dislodging Shuten's hands, but remained trapped by the blanket. "What the - Are you drunk?" He smelled the alcohol pouring off Shuten.

Rajura straightened, a little taken back at Shuten's sudden provoking. He set Anubisu's cup down on the nearest surface and sat in a chair to nurse his tea, before handing one to Naaza. Whatever was going to happen, he wasn't interested in taking a stray punch.

Shuten cocked his head to one side and taunted, "All bark, no bite? Maybe they really sent me back to be a dog tamer. Again."

Anubisu brought his hands up to Shuten's chest and pushed while ducking back underneath the blanket. Now freed, "You really are drunk. What in blazes are you talking about?" He looked to Naaza and Rajura, "You're mad."

Dropping the damp blanket, Shuten took one long pace forward to close the distance between them and grabbed Anubisu's undertunic to pull him closer. "You truly have no idea what you sound like, do you?"

"I really don't care." He placed his hand over Shuten's. "Why do you?"

At the dismissive remark, Shuten inhaled sharply, then growled, "As you've proven, you can hold your temper in check, you don't have to be barking orders at people like they're your ill-behaved servants."

"It wouldn't bother me so much if these children had any sense of the danger they're putting us all in. They're treating this like a game, like one of those stories Tenku thinks we're in." He stepped back slightly, stretching Shuten's arm out. "Why don't you take this touching concern to your beloved Troopers? Be their 'spiritual' leader and get them under control." He sneered. "We were just fine without you."

Shuten smiled, and his eyes danced with the thought of corrupting everyone's minds with the cruelties he envisioned. "If ever you paid attention, you'd know that Kayura has that role and Seiji to a lesser extent, and maybe now Shin has a degree of it. I am more of a sinister creature, with the good sense to keep myself in check. You could learn a lot...if you cared more," he taunted, pulling Anubisu closer.

"If I cared more," he parroted. "But I don't. And certainly not from you." He stepped a hair closer, bending Shuten's wrist. "Why don't you crawl back to your bottle? Hide out under Kayura's chair. Or maybe Seiji to a lesser extent or maybe Shin."

Shuten's face hardened at the insults, balling his fist tighter in Anubisu’s tunic. Instead, he laughed maliciously and said, "Oh, I didn't know you missed your owner so badly. I'm so sorry I took you away. But he's in a better place now," he mocked.

He smirked in Shuten's face. "If I recall, you eagerly lapped his heels, more so than anyone else. But, here's the difference. We're figuring out how to be free and lead ourselves. You are still looking to hide in the folds of another. So, now, which one of us is the pathetic one?"

"The one too daft to realize we work better together than apart," Shuten seethed, "is you. Maybe that's why we're all stranded here. To show any idiots like you that We Have To Work Together!"

"You?" Anubisu disparaged. "You never once shared anything with us. What makes you so high and mighty to lord it over us now? If you recall, I was out there working with Troopers while you were getting drunk!" He finished by yelling.

"I'm Drinking So I Don't Kill You," Shuten enunciated, growling every word. "If I were drunk, you'd be a stain on the wall. You see, there's a bit of balance where everything is rainbows. And You're Messing With It by raising everyone's ire. Do you understand now? That I've broken everything down in easy-to-swallow pieces." He glared.

With a loud clink, Rajura set down his half-finished cup of tea on a small table nearby. He raised his voice to be heard over the arguing. "May I remind you two that we are guests in this household; if you start a fistfight, you'll be shaming not only yourselves but the rest of us as well." The annoyance was evident in his features. "So, if the two of you are quite finished bickering about who's worse than who, I would like to talk Anubisu about his time outside." He threaded his fingers together, elbows on the arms of the chair.

Anubisu glared at Shuten, daring him to release first. Shuten raised his head haughtily and pushed away. His eyes bore into Rajura, then back to Anubisu; I should just solve this problem here and now. Maybe Rajura likes all the bickering of old.

Allow the barest hint of a smile to grace his lips before pushing past Shuten and going to Rajura. "What did you want to know?" Anubisu asked.

The warlord relaxed ever so slightly. One bomb defused, for the time being. "Anything you took note of, even minor details. Perhaps you heard or saw something the Troopers missed or would have taken for granted. If nothing else, a detailed account of your time out there could be helpful." He unfurled his fingers, tapping his index finger on the armrest.

Anubisu knelt down again in front of Rajura, glancing at Shuten to make sure he saw. Anubisu recounted what he saw, finishing with "They appeared to come from nowhere, simply appearing because we were in the proper place." He paused a minute, "It felt empty, almost scripted."

For a time, it almost seemed like Rajura wasn't going to say another word, but when he did speak, it was distant and cold. "...I see."

"You see what, exactly?"

His gaze flicked to the dark-haired warrior for a moment before he stood up and retrieved the extra teacup he'd brought. "I'm starting to see the larger picture, but I'm still working with bits and pieces. Nothing concrete, just...a feeling, I suppose." He offered the drink to Anubisu. "I hate going off of 'gut feelings,' but that's all we have. Drink up, before it gets cold."

"Thank you,” Anubisu suppressed a shiver. The warm tea helped, but it didn't help that his clothing was still wet.

Annoyed, Shuten imagined rolling up the dropped blanket and throwing it at Anubisu. But that would be helping...rewarding the person - animal - he'd been trying to teach. "Enjoy your tea," he said stoically, then walked out, leaving the door open. Trying to keep busy, he returned to the kitchen, taking pleasure in sharpening the knives.

While utterly unaware of the rising tensions between Masho, Nasuti set down her notepad inventory at the table. "Well, if I've counted everything right, we have about a week's worth of three meals per day. We've got blankets to spare, beds, pillows, and some clothing. I found a water pitcher with a filter in the back of the pantry, but I don't know what good it would do with the oil situation outside..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Water is our biggest priority right now. We can't go too long without clean drinking water, and there's probably some left in the pipes, but we can't count on that."

Seiji watched Shuten sharpen the knives nervously, having heard the muffled fight. “We need to reconvene,” he said calmly and glanced at the others nearby. “Let’s round everyone up and see what we can figure out about these ghost koi and why Shin turned into a fish.”

Touma nodded, "I agree."

Shuu hummed his acknowledgment. "Yeah. We're gonna have to come up with some kind of plan. As Nasuti said, water's gonna be a trick."

"I'm surprised you didn't mention food, Shuu," Ryo poked him.

Shuu gave him an incredulous look. "Nasuti said we'd run outta water first, bro, I don't think exclusively with my stomach... I KNOW you need water to BOIL THE POTATOES." He grinned brightly. 

Shaking his head, Seiji went and found Kayura. “Lady Kayura, I believe we are all ready to review what has occurred. Would you please gather the Masho? I suspect they are experiencing some, ah, inner strife, and I believe my friends and I would exasperate the situation.”

Kayura nodded politely and took up her staff. "Hai, Korin-san. I'll be but a moment." The priestess wandered off, wondering what they'd gotten themselves into without supervision. Truth be told, Rajura was usually fine on his own, but the others? Naaza was especially prone to the making of trouble when left to his own devices. Shuten was already in the kitchen, making her task that much shorter. She found Anubisu with a blanket wrapped around him. "Ah, Anubisu-san, we're convening in the dining room. Do you need new clothing? I'm sure the Troopers have something in your size for the time being. Nasuti and I will find a way to launder everyone's things, I'm sure."

Anubisu smiled, "That would be wonderful." At least he wasn't shivering anymore.

Shuten slammed down his latest knife, hearing Kayura. He sat down in a huff at the table.

Rajura stood to join Kayura, picking up his now-emptied cup. "Time to babysit the children again, I suppose," he muttered, half-joking. His gaze landed on the green-haired male across the room. "Naaza, if you find anything we haven't taken note of already, I want to know about it." Without waiting for a response, he returned to the common area, settling on a window seat.

Raking a hand through his hair, the snake wandered his way back to the dining room for their little conference, rubbing his hands in a once-white hand towel. "I can tell you one thing - it leaves an interesting stain." Holding up the hand towel, everyone could see a lavender-colored, bubbled stain. Its pattern was not like a liquid, but more like bubbles were dropped onto the cloth and dried. "It dries fairly quickly, although crusty. I suggest laundering unless you'd like to walk around sounding like a bag of those fried potatoes."

Touma turned his phone back on and pulled the picture up. "It sounds like we are the only ones who didn't fight a bug." He set the phone down for the others to see the photo, "I just managed to take that before it disintegrated."

Shuu leaned over Touma's phone. "Yeck. Those are some creepy little dudes. I think maybe I'm okay with just having to squish a really big creepy crawly. But uh... I guess this means that there are some kind of PEOPLE here. This isn't just a bug world."

"Ah, Korin-san? Rekka-san? Do you..." Kayura bit her lower lip. There was no polite way to ask for this, she realized, and she was partly embarrassed on Anubisu's behalf. "...would you happen to have some clothing Anubisu-san could use? Until we launder his, anyway. We would really appreciate it."

Seiji blinked, then nodded solemnly. “There is a closet upstairs with some assorted garments. Some are ones we’ve left behind, and others belonged to Nasuti’s grandfather. Anubisu will find them in the first bedroom after climbing up the stairs.”

At the uncomfortable look Kayura had upon Seiji's reply, Shuu straightened. "I remember where it is. I'll go help him put his indecency away. Be back in a bit guys." He said, heading out to where the Masho had squirreled themselves away. "Hey. 'Bisu. Kayura said, you need clothes?"

Pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders, Anubisu stood up. "Yes, that would be -" he cut off, taking in the tight top, "helpful." And weirdly, he wondered if staying half-naked, wet, and cold might be preferable to wearing something like what Kongo had on now. He pulled the blanket even tighter around his shoulders and thought for Kayura.

Shuu gave him a thumbs up. "Awesome, come on I'll show you the closet so you can put your boobs away. I'll try to find you something to work with." He said, leading the Masho to where Nasuti kept some of her grandfather's clothes. “Maybe pants? I doubt we’ll find another Doom shirt of Touma’s.” He muttered, tossing out some old loafers. 

"This isn't looking great, not gonna lie-" Shuu stopped on his last syllable, popping his head back out of the closet. "Jackpot." He nodded, dragging out a zippered garment bag and opening it to reveal a charcoal grey kimono. "Probably the old Professor's formal kimono... he was thin, but his shoulders were still pretty broad, so there's probably enough spare fabric to put your nips away." He declared, patting the dust on his hands off on his sweat pants.

Taking the bag, "Thank you, Kongo." Anubisu recognized the quality of the fabric. Everything seemed to be there.

Shuu focused strictly on digging through the closet, and not at Anubisu undressing. Today is NOT a day for Self-Exploration as Shin would call it, burying his head even deeper. 

Poking his head into the bedroom, Ryo eyes land on Shuu digging through the closet. "Did you guys find what you need?" 

"Yeah, Dude! Look at this!" Shuu shuffled backward to avoid breaking the instrument he found, hefted a bowling ball with his left hand. Doing a bicep curl with the ball. "This is gaudy as hell... let's go make Seiji look at it and see if his eye twitches!" He chuckled, following Ryo out of the room and back down the stairs. 

"Hey, everyone,” Shuu called to everyone down the stairs. “Look what I found! Bet I could do a squat while holding it with my thighs!" He waited, smiling like a fool, for their look of exhausted disappointment.

Seiji blinked, greedy lust overcoming him, something the others didn’t see before. The myriad colors swirled around the bowling ball, fracturing the minimal light in the room, holding Seiji rapt.

Touma smirked in amusement. Trust Shuu to find all the weird things in an old house, "I'm sure you can do your workout with the bowling ball."

Narrowing his eyes at Shuu, Rajura opened his mouth but paused. Before he could whip up a cutting insult for him, he recognized the familiar object in the teen's other hand. "Is that a...shamisen?" He wondered.

Anubisu returned downstairs wearing the kimono and hakama Shuu found. Seeing the others eyeing the strange ball, he turned his attention to Rajura. "Do you play?"

Nasuti fairly squealed with excitement seeing the ball. “Shuu, where did you find that thing? I haven’t seen it in years. Grandpa used to bowl league for a while. He won a bet against one of his friends. They said he’d never be able to bowl with this cursed ball.” 

She sat down on the nearest open chair, taking the ball, stroking it. “He ended up getting three strikes in a row, won the bet and named it... Doombringer.”

Seiji shook himself out the stupor. “Why in the world are you carrying a bowling ball around?” he asked.

Rajura straightened his poise at Anubisu’s question. "Of course. The arts were part of my training, as they were for any samurai of worth." 

Anubisu glared at Rajura, "Play us a song, then." 

Rajura returned the glare of the dark-haired warlord, not willing to admit it had been centuries since he'd even so much as touched an instrument. "Is it even in any condition to be played? I'd hate to damage an antique."

"Shouldn't a samurai of any worth able to recognize damage to his instrument?" Anubisu pushed.

Touma leaned towards Seiji and whispered, "It's like watching two teenage girls."

“My sisters are exactly like this,” Seiji nodded back.

"It's not my instrument, now is it?" Rajura stared him down.

But, Anubisu met the fierce glare, "No, I suppose none of us have anything here. We're all exactly the same, reliant on Yagyu-san's generosity."

His gaze darkened as he met Anubisu's eyes. He extended his hand towards Shuu, not breaking the eye contact. "Bring it here, Kongo."

The priestess watched the volley of words, briefly pondering if the popped corn she’d heard mentioned earlier might be needed for this situation. “I’m sure Rajura-san plays wonderfully.” she offered weakly. When Anubisu and Rajura got into one of their moods, there was little anyone else could do.

Shuu, pausing gloating over Doom Bringer, handing Rajura the instrument. "Play Freebird?"

Rajura turned his glare on Shuu, albeit momentarily, as he gently took the shamisen from him. Looking at the strings and delicate body, he made sure it was usable. 

Anubisu matched Rajura glaring at Shuu. "How about something more traditional? Calming and slow." He said with a gentler tone.

The strings were plucked, tuned, and smoothed. Then, Rajura took a quiet breath...and played.

It was a simple melody, one easily recognizable from his own time. Stately, a lullaby for children, meant to help sleep. His shoulders relaxed as he went on, the music casting away some of the tension as the listeners enjoyed.

As the last notes faded, Anubisu said, "That was nice,” honestly before turning away, leaving for another room.

"Thank you for that, Rajura-san," Shin said with a wistful smile.

"Arigato gozaimasu, Rajura-san." Kayura bowed her head to the Masho. Rajura held onto the instrument a little longer before putting it aside to join her. 

Kayura turned to the others, pulling her shoulders back. "From what I understand, there were other creatures outside, different than the ones that came up through the floor. Is that correct? These creatures... Ah, Tenku-san," she said as Touma handed her his phone.

Kayura stroked the... pocket rectangle, was it, pondering? "That is a yokai I've heard stories of. Little thieves, I think. Is that was is out there? Yokai? The creatures that attacked us here, I haven't seen them before."

Touma looked at her, “It's what we ran into. Anubisu and Seiji lead the way as we walked towards the city, three of these guys just ran at us. I fired a warning shot," he smiled sheepishly at Seiji, "Sorry about almost taking your leg off," then continued, "They didn't seem phased by it. They said nothing to us just attacked; I didn't notice any other creatures out there besides those ghost koi things." Gesturing to Shuten, "You said the bugs you all fought came up through the floor...?"

Shuu paused in his eating. "You know what was weird? I didn't even pay any attention to it til now but... When we-" He motioned to Ryo and Shin, "-were at the lake... the dock was still there. Like. And it's the same dock. Not like 'Oh well, this is another universe with the same lake, but the little grey yokai dudes who live here built A dock on the lake too.' No, it was literally in the same place, same old worn ass wood. It was so much the same that I didn't even think about it. I'm not the only one who thinks it's fucked up that the little grey dudes happened to build an identical dock in the same place, out of the same kind of wood, at the same time that Nasuti's grandfather hired someone to build his?" He ate a cracker. "Did you guys see anything when you were out that was like that?" He asked, calling to Seiji, Touma, and Anubisu.

Anubisu stopped when he heard Touma mention his name. Listening to Shuu, he realized the Troopers and Nasuti saw nothing unusual. "I have not been here any length of time to know a difference. But I agree with you. When we were... adjusted, I don't believe we were moved to a new house or location. I don't believe I passed out as the rest of you did; what I felt was more like what was real shifted into a nightmare. And that was what made us senseless."

“I’m not sure how much of what’s out there is new or what came with is when... whatever happened.” Seiji frowned and took a seat at the table. “We didn’t encounter any sign of mortal human civilization. We actually didn’t get very far before the yokai attacked us, and the ghost koi entered our bodies.” 

Touma nodded with Seiji and Anubisu, "No idea. Maybe this like the Wizard of Oz? Only we got lucky and didn't land on top of a witch - at least not that we know of."

"So, then should we all venture out again? This rain doesn't seem to be self-limiting." Ryo noted as he stared out the windows.

“I’m worried that something like what happened to Shin will happen to us,” Seiji said. He turned to look at Shin. “Do you think you’ll be transformed again? Is this something we can learn to control? Or is it something else entirely?”

Shin shook his head. "I don't think we should venture out again just yet. Let's see if we can figure a few things out first, like what else is lurking out there or if time passing is even a thing." Shin looked at his watch: 12:04. "Well, either it's around midnight, my watch stopped, or we're stuck in time somewhere. Maybe we should wait until morning and see if there is daylight wherever we are."

Shuu scratched at his chin. "Yeah. I guess we could use a chance to sleep and all. But I will say this, I'm super curious if other manmade stuff that we're used to is still out there... you know?" He recounted, "Like, if the dock is there. Does that mean that our apartment is still out there somewhere? Or my parent's restaurant? If the building is there... is the food in their walk-in freezer still there..." He tapped the table, sitting down. "I, for one, would very much not like to starve."

Building on Shuu’s thoughts, Shuten said, "Maybe we should empty the refrigeration units. We have no idea how long they've been without power. If it hadn't been raining all this time, I would suggest building a smokehouse to smoke all the meat...But maybe we should salt everything instead?"

"Did anyone notice any signs of normal wildlife out there?” Rajura asked. They had food at the moment, but their safety was not assured. “Not that you were likely gone long enough to notice, but if we're to be stuck here for an extended period of time, all the theorizing in the world about what's happening won't keep us alive for long."

"I didn't notice any." Touma said

"Same." Ryo agreed.

"With not knowing what’s out there,” Anubisu cut in, “if we're going to sleep, we should set up a watch - at least two people at a time." He saw the sharp look from Rajura. "Even with the barrier holding," he tried placating, "a watch would afford us a few more moments notice. The two could observe whatever creatures are being stopped at the barrier as the rest shake off their sleep."

"Agreed.” Rajura conceded. “If these creatures are 'made' of dream dust, it might be that the barrier will do nothing to keep them at bay. If it doesn't..." He furrowed his brow as he looked aside, slightly agitated at the thought.

"If it doesn't, I'm sure you'll find a way to remedy that," Anubisu replied.

Rajura looked askance at Anubisu, suspicious. "Naturally. Now, I suppose we all ought to discuss these strange ghostly koi. Suiko ended up turning into one, though the rest of us didn't. But why? What's different about you?" He pointed at Shin. He noticed Anubisu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Touma asked.

“Do you feel any different, Shin?” Seiji questioned. “Can you trigger the change again?”

Shin shrugged. "I feel similar to when we had our armors. Maybe it's because my armor is attuned to water that I turned into a fish." Shin pictured turning into a ghost fish like in the Sword in the Stone. "What was it Merlin said?" Muttering to himself, "'Aquarius aquaticus aqualitus quum!'" A blue light surrounded Shin, and the other had to look away. 

When the light dissipated, Shin was again a ghost koi. Locking eyes with Seiji, Shin asked, "Can you understand me?"

Seiji froze in shock before nodding. “I can. How do you feel?”

"Like the sidekick in a cartoon." Shin turned to peer at himself. "I don't feel any different. Can the rest of you hear me?"

“I can hear you just fine,” Seiji said as the others look at him concerned. 

Touma leaned in. "I assume you're talking to each other somehow?"

Shuu threw his hands in the air, "Oh, man. Here we go again. Higglety Pigglety magic shit."

“He just said he doesn’t feel any different from before. You didn’t hear him?” Seiji questioned Touma.

But, Touma shook his head. "I just hear you."

Shuu nodded, "And last time this happened, he could only talk to ChuckleBrain. At least this proves Ryo isn't a Ghost Whisperer. It's just some mojo about the fishy magic, I guess. You still a Ghost?" He flicked his fingers through Shin's spectral form, much less anxiously this time. 

"I'm more of a Cat whisperer anyways," Ryo answered stroking Byakuen's chin. "Shin, have you figured out how to change back, or is there a time limit like polyjuice?"

"I don't know." Shin closed his eyes, "Homo sapien." Nothing happened. "Maybe it is a time thing, but with broken clocks, I guess I'll have to keep a count. Oh, Seiji, please translate."

Seiji repeated everything Shin said, then added, “I’d say mark the time, but it seems the clocks are all frozen.”

Touma glanced at his phone battery sitting at 76%, "I can try and time it with the clock app on my phone if you guys want?”

"No. We may need it for something more essential. I'll just try to keep track." Seiji repeated for Shin.

"Perhaps we don't need to know precisely how long it lasts for now. A guestimate would probably suffice." Rajura leaned back and steepling his fingertips together. "That you can change at will, at least in one direction, is interesting. If we all have these spirit koi within us now, it stands to reason that we too now harbor abilities we didn't have previously." The warlord looked towards the room Naaza had sequestered himself. "As ironic as it may seem to the rest of you, our warlord of poison has gained the ability to instantly heal wounds, almost to the point of being scarless." He fought the urge to highlight the torn part of his clothing and the laceration no longer there.

Shuu grumbled. "Great. Maybe my higglety pigglety magic power will be laser eyes!"

"Okay... Shin turns into a fish, and Nazza can heal wounds...?" What the fuck? Touma looked at Koi-Shin then to Naaza, finally to Shuu, "Well, the day or whatever isn't over yet, so I bet we'll find out."

With these new revelations, Shuten held up a palm and tried to manifest fire. But sadly, nothing happened.

“Can anyone else do anything new?” Seiji focused inward, finally noticing that his sense of insight seemed sharper somehow.

Touma looked up, thinking about flying. Of course, nothing. He glanced down at the antique arrow he'd been fiddling with... Maybe?

When no one spoke up, Seiji grimaced. “Maybe we all need to sleep on it,” he suggested. “Perhaps we will receive guidance.”

"You know I'm always up for a nap."

Shuu nodded. "Yeah. Let’s get some shut eye, but when we get up I'd like to look at seeing what of the city is still there. That itch of curiosity ain't going away but I feel you. I've had a shitty day and a nap sounds like something I could really get into." He said, gesturing then, vaguely, at Shin. "Might not want to curl up anywhere small. Y'know. 'Less you pop back to full size in a cupboard or somethin'."

Looking to Rajura and Shuten, Anubisu asked. "How do we want to set up a watch rotation? One of us and one of the Troopers would probably be safest for everyone."

Shin looks at Seiji, "I doubt I'll be able to sleep like this. I can take first watch." Seiji repeated that.

"How can anyone sleep when we might be turned into spiders, snakes and demons? Rocks, fires...who the hell knows...Let's just stay up and teach them how to pass the time in dream worlds." Shuten winked at Anubisu.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you too drunk to take this seriously?" Anubisu snapped.

"Have you not seen the floating fish that talks through other people's mouths? Have you not witnessed benevolent carp that granted us pseudo-armor? If you can take that seriously, something's wrong with you," Shuten teased, smirking at how angry he was making Anubisu. "I'll stay up when you do, so we can make sure everything's taken seriously,” he added, winking again.

Anubis balled his fists, but refrained from taking any further action, "Do as you please, you're good at that – especially when someone needs you. I'll join Suiko first. Rajura, will you follow after?"

"I'll go with whoever wants me," Shuten said, leaning back in his chair.

Partially fearing the worst, and partially to alleviate her own anxieties, Nasuti gently touched Shuten's arm. "I'd feel a little bit safer if you'd stay by me for the time being? I'd really like your help gathering up some bags and backpacks we could use to take things with us if we're traveling into town. If you don't mind, that is, Shuten."

"I'll do anything you need," Shuten said to Nasuti.

The white-haired man nodded at Anubisu. "That sounds fine. Perhaps Suiko can use some of his watch to see if he can will himself back into a human." He eyed Shuten with a furrowed brow, but refrained from addressing him.

Seiji nodded. “Shin says he’s happy to take the first watch, as he wouldn’t be sleeping anyways. I can take second.”

Touma looked at Seiji, "You should take the last watch, you'll already be awake anyways Mr. Early Bird."

“Good,” Rajura said. “Anubisu and Shin will have the first watch, Seiji and I the second.” He addressed the first two, “If either of you are tired, come get us.” They nodded. 

“For the rest of us, Yagyu-san, would you be kind enough to show us where we can sleep?” Rajura finished.

“Oh, yes!” She said. To the Troopers, Nasuti said, “You all know where your rooms are, so up you go.” She waved them. “Shuten, Rajura, let’s go get Naaza and find you beds.”

After showing everyone to their rooms, Nasuti and Shuten had gathered up various bags to carry supplies. They loaded them as much as possible with food, medicine and changes of clothing, and umbrellas as they could find. The idea was to head into town once they'd been able to ascertain the situation as best they could.

Watching the others go, Anubisu and Shin began the watch. “We should check everything, for a baseline. You know this house and grounds better. I’ll follow your lead.” While Shin appeared surprised, he nodded. 

The watches during the night went about tensely. The oily rain coated everything as far as the eye could see - trees and their leaves glistened with it, blades of grass bent under the weight of it. Thick and dark clouds hung low in the sky. 

After an hour or so had passed, a loud THUM startled Anubisu. He whipped around to find Shin, once again human, on the floor rubbing his side. “I’ve got to figure out how change back without dropping.” He accepted the hand Anubisu offered to help him up. They kept a close eye on the house while the others slept, some more fitfully than others.

Rajura and Seiji's watch came next. Shin joined Shuu in their room and Anubisu took Rajura’s bed. 

“The sun should be rising soon, if it rises at all,” Seiji said after they were alone. 

“I’ll leave you to watch over the east side of the house, and I the west. If the sun does rise, you will benefit from it more.” Rajura answered quietly. Seiji agreed.

With each of them standing at windows on opposite sides of the house, they waited for the sun. To their surprise, the sky did seem to lighten considerably, going from a very dark and gloomy night to an overcast morning, but no lighter. 

The oily rain ceased sometime after sunrise, but before anyone else awoke, leaving behind residue on everything they could see.

While the others slept, Rajura took note of the floor, knowing full well more of those roach creatures could appear at any moment. None did, thankfully, and the barrier held until the others started to stir. Seemingly, nothing had approached the mansion to test the barrier.

Whether that was a comfort or not was up for debate.


	7. Chapter 7

Nasuti stretched, content in waking up until the memories of yesterday set in. It was still dark and dreary, but it did seem a tad lighter. Making her way quietly to the kitchen to see if she could make breakfast for the others, she heard the sounds of sleep from the other rooms. 

She nodded in thanks to both Seiji and Rajura for keeping them safe. "You didn't see anything, did you?” She asked nervously. “I didn't... nothing came up through the floor upstairs, anyway, and believe me, I checked every nook and cranny like a paranoid mother." She was silent for a moment and then continued chattering, "I think I might be a paranoid mother to some of you, anyway. Byakuen slept in Ryo's room. I didn't hear any roaring. If we could get another fire going, I can make some more tea or something?"

Rajura nodded as he pried his eye from the window. He even offered her a small smile, noting how frazzled their host appeared. "Tea sounds perfect right about now, thank you." He took it upon himself to start a flame in the fireplace, throwing a last comment over her shoulder. "I kept an eye out for any more unwelcome guests. Everything was quiet, Yagyu-san." He hoped he sounded supportive.

“Thank you for offering, Nasuti,” Seiji said, coming over to her. “Did you sleep well?”

"I did sleep... fairly well. Thank you for asking, Seiji,” Nasuti answered. “And thank you again for keeping watch. That really helped." She pinched the bridge of her nose. This circumstance was stressful for everyone involved. "It doesn't look like the power has come back on, and the clocks still aren't moving. That's... concerning. But at least we still have the hearth, and I've got plenty of oatmeal and rice to cook. I've found some backpacks too. We can't stay here without power and food." She sighed, raking her hand through her hair. She hoped nobody killed each other in all of this. Upstairs, she could hear rustling. 

A loud yawn caught their attention, and they watched Ryo coming downstairs, stretching. "Morning, looks like the rain's let up." He yawned.

Seiji nodded in greeting. A faint smirk suddenly flitted across his face. “Good morning. Ryo, could you get the Masho and the others up? Including Touma? I need to meditate after keeping watch, and you should probably help plan our hike to the city, what with your experience traveling the wilderness.”

Rajura stood up once the fire was going again. "I will awaken the other Masho if one of you can handle starting on the tea." He rubbed the back of his neck, grumbling. "I hate this dance." 

Nodding, Ryo turned to Byakuen, "You hear that Bya, can you wake up Touma?" The white tiger snorted in agreement with a mischievous glint. They both followed Rajura up the stairs.

In the farthest bedroom the Masho slept in, the one-eyed warlord let out a heavy sigh seeing the three bundles. "First and only warning: wake up, or you'll suffer the consequences." He stated loudly, closing the door behind him.

Jumping at Rajura's voice, Anubisu huffed and pulled the blanket over his head, wondering if he actually heard Naaza hiss. Shuten was brought into semi-wakefulness by Rajura and wasn't alarmed by the threat, so he slipped back down into his personal dreamland.

Ryo was met by Shuu, coming out of his room and releasing a great big grizzly bear yawn, hand up his shirt and scratching his belly. "I'm up." He grumbled. "S'there coffee?" He went on his way downstairs. "Uuuuuh, what can we make for breakfast? Warrior Need Protein Badly." He called out to the kitchen.

Slinking into Touma's room, Byakuen stalked the sleeping form; eyes fixed on his prey. 

Touma was lying askew on his stomach, mumbling about a modem burnout. Byakuen jumped on the bed but received no response. Straddling Touma's torso, he head-butted Touma's shoulder blades. Touma merely groaned but gave no sign of waking. Snorting in frustration, Byakuen flipped him over. "ZFie minutes..." was all the reward.

Whiskers twitch agitatedly, Byakuen spun around on the bed with a mighty plop he rests his rump on Touma's face and rips a big one. 

Something... that was not what a burning modem smelled like... what was..? Touma opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus. "Byakuen. Get your stinky ass out of my face!" He smacked the tiger on the rump. "I did not need your special brand of perfume on my face."

Satisfied as he jumped off the bed, Byakuen sauntered back to the main living area, with tail held high.

Touma sat on the edge of the bed for a good five minutes, trying to get his brain to function correctly. He finally found the motivation to get up and made his way downstairs. "Anything happen last night?" He asked the others.

Shin wandered into the kitchen thinking about what to make for breakfast for the group. He knew this would be much harder without electricity. He waved to Touma, and then Shuu.

Shuu, still a pre-coffee zombie, grunted a greeting in Shin's general direction as he dug around in a drawer. "Mrnin bro... Is there any sugar in that jar?" He grumbled.

Drifting between sleep and awake for a few moments, Anubisu knew it would be a bad day. Already frustrated, he threw the blanket off and got up. He glared at Rajura on his way downstairs and kept himself away from the others for now. 

Naaza blinked blearily. Pushing himself up, he rubbed at his eyes. "I'm awake," he informed. "No need to babysit me, Spider. I'll come to the morning tea party without having to be dragged… this time." He said, with the hint of threat in his voice from being woken so early.

Pleasantly surprised at having less work, Rajura thought for a moment as he looked down at the sleeping Shuten. Cold water was out of the question – it was too precious a commodity to waste on this. However... A carefree smile curled onto his lips as he slipped out his dagger and knelt near the sleeping Masho's ear. "Well, if you won't get up, I suppose I'll just have to give you a haircut to teach you a lesson. And it won't be pretty."

At the threat, Shuten snapped awake, grabbed Rajura's dagger-wielding arm at the wrist, and pinned it to the floor. "Get your hair extensions somewhere else," he growled.

Rajura chuckled his amusement as he stood up, wrenching his wrist free. "Extensions, hm? Might be better used for tassels, I think the red would clash with my hair too much." He gave his lavender locks a flip, then headed back out into the living room with a sight bit more cheer than he had when he left. "Anyone made progress with that tea yet?"

Kayura wandered her way downstairs. "Thank you very, very much, everyone.” She said sweetly. “The beds were very comfortable, and I appreciated how cozy everything was." Her chipper attitude might have annoyed her comrades. "I did not become aware of anything untoward last night. I am confident the barrier held." 

Ryo sat by fireplace comforted by the familiar flames with Byakuen lying lazily at his feet. Seiji sat in the corner, still in meditation, as Touma glared at the tiger before looking at the window. "So this is 'daytime'?"

"Seems like it. At least the rain's stopped." Ryo answered in the dearth of conversation. 

Touma rubbed his already messy hair continuing his thoughts, "It's a few hours to walk into town if I remember right... We'll have to go into town. Nasuti, you better get that baseball bat out."

"Good idea, Touma. And maybe some of these steak knives..." She hadn't thought of bringing the knives, but anything was possible out there. "...do you think the cars might still work?"

"Worth a try. Our phones turn on, and we could get lucky with the cars." Touma replied with a shrug. 

"Let's hope the cars work,” Ryo repeated. “Not everyone was graceful trekking through mud. On a side note, if you run out of cooking ideas, oatmeal tastes good savory." He said hopefully.

Oatmeal...? Oh yeah no power. Fuck. Touma cringed as his brain finally registered the gravity of the situation. Damn it. At least everyone would know not to trust me to try cooking ye ole fashioned way.

Shuu nodded, flopping down next to Ryo and sipping at a mug of strong, black coffee. He was nearly human again. "I rode here with Shin. Still don't have a license of my own. Do you want me to at least go fondle the key fob and see if she gives a little beep beep?"

Seiji cracked an eye open, pausing his meditation. “No one needs you to go fondle anything, Shu.”

"Just sweet talk it, you'll get some kind of reaction. You usually do." Touma laughed.

Shuu gave Seiji a look over his mug then twiddled his fingers in a lewd way the blonde's direction before responding to Touma. "Look. I have gotten rare drops on my mobile games by talking nicely to it. I have amassed so many rare waifus. You're just jealous. I'm totally not filling the hole of jealousy that you can get a real girl's phone number, Touma. Nope."

"Unlike you,” Touma suggested, “I really don't give two shits if I die alone. And I was trying to hand you a compliment. Jerk. Finish your coffee and play nice."

Shin stepped between Shuu and Touma, thrusting the keys in Shuu's hands. "We don't need this right now."

Shuu patted him on the shoulder as Shin stepped in to be the adult. "Sorry, man. I shouldn't tease you for girls oggling you when you've just woken up. I forget you need to reboot a bit. I'll let off. But I’m just saying if you ever need someone for a girl's 'friend' who likes short, fat guys just remember your ol' buddy Shuu." He grinned, accepting the key fob from Shin and giving him an apologetic head nod as well. Shin gave Shuu a knowing look and squeezes his shoulder in encouragement.

"Wha..?" Touma said, "I missed something... didn't I?" Touma asked. His brain tried to grasp the conversation, and it felt like he messed up somewhere. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face.

"Your brain doesn't wake at the same time your body does. That's all." Shin handed him a cup of caffeine.

~~

Frustrated from watching the children, Anubisu wandered into the other room to watch out the windows. Suddenly, with the prospect of food, paying attention to potential attackers no longer mattered, he muttered under his breath, adding colorful curses for the various troopers and their antics. 

Pulled from his fire-spun thoughts by the sinister sound of curses, Shuten followed the source and growled, "How many years does it take a dog to mature?"

Scowling, partly at his lack of awareness and irritation at the other party, Anubisu forced down his initial reaction, refusing to turn around to face Shuten. He simply raised his right hand and flicked a demon horns hand gesture to the person annoying him. 

Shuten taunted, "You really think that ever stopped anyone?"

Anubis shrugged, refusing to say anything. Let Shuten run his mouth. He won't actually do anything. Anubisu thought.

"Do we need to pick up a collar and leash? I'll let you pick it out if you're a good boy," Shuten offered, laughing.

That stung Anubisu thought of the idea of someone binding him like that. Aloud, and happy with how steady his voice was, Anubisu answered him, "Is there something you could do to make yourself useful? Or is the only thing you're good for anymore is just sitting around looking pretty?"

Shuten cocked his head sideways. "I could go back to sharpening knives, but I'd prefer not to when I'm apparently entertaining you with my mere presence."

"The last time you entertained me, you were on your knees, begging." 

Shuten smiled like a cobra, ready to strike. "You call that begging?" 

Anubisu just shrugged a shoulder, still not turning around to look at Shuten.

"What have you got against being free? If you need a foot on your throat, I have two," Shuten offered.

That got Anubisu to turn and glare at Shuten. "Free? Just because we have more choices now doesn't mean we're free. We're all bound by the armor and now stuck here. You can take your foot and shove it up your ass sideways." He turned to leave the room.

"Are you trying to lead me to your room to demonstrate? You want me to follow," Shuten taunted.

Anubisu's steps faltered before he decided Shuten was only trying to get a rise out of him. Flipping him the gesture again, Anubisu continued his path out.

Shuten stalked after Anubisu, grabbing his shoulder to spin him around. "Is something bothering you other than the obvious situation?"

Anubisu used the momentum to knock Shuten's arm away. "You not doing anything but getting drunk and being useless ranks high up there. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Not particularly, try again," Shuten said.

"I'm not playing games. What do you want?" Anubisu answered.

"Something is eating at you. I want to know what it is," Shuten pressed.

Anubisu cocked an eyebrow. "All this fighting to know why I'm having a bad day. Have you been paying attention to what's going on?"

"Things have gotten better here, but you just keep getting progressively worse. So it's something other than being stranded and having all lost our armors. It can't be the long walk ahead, dogs love exploring. So, what the fuck has you cursing everything and wishing I'd dislocate my knee in the pursuit of hedonism?" Shuten taunted.

"I am not a damned dog!" Anubisu hissed as he pushed Shuten away. "Why do you care anyway? I'm nothing but an animal to you."

Shuten grabbed Anubisu's wrists and pinned them to the wall. "If I'm not a demon to you, why do you keep flashing that symbol at me?" He smiled maniacally and said, "It only ever makes me want to tackle you." He leaned in, "Could it be? That you're just... so happy, I'm back that you can't stand it? All your taunts sound like lust and jealousy, and I just want to help you, like always. Because..." He pulled back a bit and looked into Anubisu's eyes, then lowered his gaze and kissed him, hard and lingering, with a small bite to the lip before he pulled away and said, "I love you."

Anubisu relaxed into the kiss, giving back before Shuten pulled away. "I... I don't understand. How..." He couldn't find the words to explain. "Why?"

"Why not," Shuten replied playfully. "Where would demons be without the darkness to hold them?"

"I've heard honeyed words before. What is it you really want?" Anubisu asked, sure this was a trick.

Shuten looked down and affirmed, "I just want you to be happy. Or at least as happy as you can be. If you think this was insulting, curse me all you please. But it feels like you enjoyed it. And don't we need something more than misery in life?"

Red colored Anubisu’s face at the thought. "And does this happiness come sitting at your heels, like the dog you think I am?" 

Shuten released the man's wrists. "I wouldn't know what to think if you ever listened to a word I said," he answered, the insult taken apparently.

When Shuten released him, Anubisu made an aborted attempt to grab him. "I don't know what to think. I thought you hated me; thought I was no better than an animal. Now, you tell me you love me. Tell me, what am I supposed to think?" He pleaded.

Shuten took a step back, away from the grabbing hands. "Aren't we all? Did we not all rape and kill and kneel at the feet of our lords and emperor? Consider that it takes one to know one."

Anubisu bowed his head, feeling a loss. "You found redemption, and I want the same. You keep pushing me back down, and I want-" he cut himself off, unsure now of what he did want. "Don't tempt me with something better than all the fighting and then pull it away. If you're serious about lo- about me, if this isn't some game... I'm in."

Shuten strode forward and touched his fingertips to Anubisu's cheeks, staring intensely into his eyes. "I can't promise forever, but know you have my loyalty. You had it all along, even when you thought I had left you." Before Anubisu could reply, Shuten kissed him again, more gentle than before.

Sighing when they stopped, Anubisu whispered, "I thought others cared for me, but they only used me to get what they wanted. Please... Don't just throw me away when you're done."

Shuten smiled sadly at him, "I'm never done. I always want more. Loyalty only ends when it's severed from the other side." Anubisu nodded; it was enough to go with. 

~~

Outside, Shuu leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window and pointed the fob at the car. Not wanting to call too much attention to anything wandering out in the woods, he made sure just to push the button that would make Shin's headlights flash. Once. Twice. Yep. It had battery power at least, so, it'd probably start. 

Mission accomplished, Shuu still wasn't ready to turn around and go back to the group. He'd made himself look like a fucking idiot, and only through the sheer blessing of Touma being a morning-zombie had saved him from a complicated conversation.

"Now that we're alone, let's talk,” Shin said from behind Shuu. “What's going on?"

Shuu looked pained as his thoughts ran in circles. Taking a deep breath, he squatted down, making himself small. "I looked so fucking stupid back there." He bemoaned to Shin. "I meant to only just, like, joke around a little. You know? Poke some fun at Touma. Total normal bro stuff? And it's just... stuff just started coming out of my mouth, and I felt like... Like I took it too far but the farther I went and now like... it totally looked like a 'the lady doth protest too much' situation and Touma is SMART dude. If his head weren't nine miles up his ass, he'd probably wonder what the fuck was up... and... and then I'd have to SAY it and... now is not the time dude. And I feel so fucking guilty that this shit is eating me up when we got OTHER SHIT to be dealing with!"

Shin grabbed his friend in a crushing hug. "Look, it's not great timing, I'll admit, but it's not like you can shut off your emotions either. You've been working on your personal feelings before we got thrown into another amour fiasco." Shin continued stroking Shuu's back. "I won't pressure you in when to share with the others, but I honestly don't think they'll react the way you fear they will. And just because Touma has a high IQ, doesn't mean he has a high EQ. Touma can't find his way out of an emotional paper bag on most days, let alone in the morning."

Shuu laughed. He was supposed to be like granite, where insults and mean words just bounced off and didn't affect him. But damn it. It fuckin HURT. Especially the memory of David and how he laughed.  
"Sorry." He groaned, pressing his face into Shin's shoulder. "Sorry that I'm cracking and putting you in this place. I'm trying to be better about it. And... and part of me knows that they'll be fine if I said it... but it's just... I can't do it right now... not when we gotta get our armors back." He squeezed Shin and chuckled bitterly into Shin's shoulder. "I'm a grown-ass man; you'd have thought that rejection wouldn't hurt this bad."

"Adults go through rejection as well, and relationships are difficult. Just because we're considered 'grown-up' now doesn't mean everything is resolved, and we have to be perfect." Shin looked at his watch and then remembered it isn't working. "The others are probably wondering why it's taking us so much time to check the car. Do you want me to head in first so you can have more time to compose yourself or hang here with you?"

He nodded, rubbing his nose and eyes on his sleeve. "Yeah." He said, swallowing hard to get his voice back in check. "Yeah, I'd like just a few more minutes alone just to get back into the right head game. Thanks, bro. I just... I needed to let a little of that pressure off. When we get to a better time, I'll say something to Touma."

"Of course." Shin nods and heads back inside.

~

Finishing his meditation, Seiji slowly exhaled and opened his eyes, feeling much more centered and at peace than before. There were so many unknowns, many of them running through his head: the fate of the armors, their new location, the source of the oil, the possible connection to Touma’s book, and the strange creatures that had attacked them. And then there was the ghostly koi to consider. Shin could suddenly transform into a fish and Naaza heals with a touch. What other new abilities had they been given and what price would they pay for having them?

Seiji himself felt a new awareness flickering at the edge of his understanding, something he could reach out and use anytime. It wasn’t without cost, he sensed it had limitations, but what was most disturbing was not knowing how best to use this new sense. 

Seiji breathed slowly, making sure he was still centered and serene as he let himself focus more on his surroundings. He needed to be able to engage with the others and his surroundings, not merely be present. They needed to move, act, and think as one, or as close to as they could manage, to face whatever came at them. 

Climbing to his feet, Seiji headed towards the largest cluster of voice. He caught a brief glimpse of Shuu and Shin but didn’t intrude on what seemed to be a private moment. 

He soon found Kayura, Rajura, and Nasuti moving between the kitchen and the fireplace, and Touma blinking sluggishly at the table. 

“Good morning,” he said to Touma in a low voice.

Touma was still holding the cup Shin handed him. He looked up slowly at Seiji, "Is it?" He set the cup down and stretched. "I think I pulled a stupid, but I'm not sure why?"

“I’m sure it’ll come to you,” Seiji said, smiling. “And if not, someone will explain it. Even you can be pretty dumb sometimes.” He looked around, turning slightly until he caught a glimpse of Shuten and Anubisu heading outside. “It looks like we’re just about ready to depart. Come help me gather up all the gear. We’ll pile it in front of the door to either load into the cars or equip it ourselves if the vehicles don’t start.”

Touma nodded and stood up, "Lead the way."

Calling everyone together, they worked to gather all supplies they might need: food, weapons, what water they had, plus a few empty containers. Someone also brought down extra clothes and a few plastic garbage bags. “You have no idea how many things those are good for,” Ryo answered with a hint of knowing in his voice.

Shin brought granola bars and other packages of food out to the others to eat as they loaded up. It wasn’t much, but cooking seemed to be a problem. Fortunately, the Masho figured out how to open the wrappers by watching the others, and no one had to go through the awkward explanation of how to open a plastic bag.

With supplies gathered and ready to go, Nasuti and Touma went into the mansion’s garage to attempt to fire up the well-loved car. Touma had somewhat fond memories of it (after the war, anyway). With it, Nasuti had ferried them around the city so they could save the world. 

Since then, the car had aged but was still in good condition. It had half a tank of gas, and Nasuti opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat. Taking a deep breath, she put the keys in the ignition. “Wish us luck. I don’t want to have to walk in the oily rain…” 

Turning the key, they were pleasantly surprised to find the engine roar and then relax to a rumble. The car worked. Elated, she laid her forehead on the steering wheel. “Oh, thank god. Tell the others we at least have a ride into town. It won’t take too long to get there, but if there’s anything out there waiting for us, at least we can get away faster?”

“Sure thing,” He said and went back inside. Shortly after, Nasuti followed, leaving her car running. She didn’t want to take a chance of it being a one-time start.

“Kita is the closest city I can think of,” Nasuti said to the others. “It’s got a hospital, so at least there’s that. The rail line probably doesn’t work if the power is out. I hope someone else is out there. I don’t… like any of this. I do think the hospital would be the best place to stop. Maybe, if there’s someone there, we can ask for help? Maybe we could pick up some supplies or something.”

“That’s a good idea,” Seiji said. “As long as it hasn’t been raided, it should hold many of the provisions we need.” Touma and Shuu agreed. 

“So, who goes with who?” Shuu called out. “Dibs on shotgun!” He called, tossing an arm around Shin. 

Ryo walked up to Nasuti, “I’d prefer Byakuen not run all the way into the city with this stuff on the ground. Your jeep is the only one big enough for him, so we’ll go with you.” Nasuti smiled.

“Kayura will stay with me,” Rajura declared before glaring at Shuten and Anubisu, “You two split up.”

Shuten smiled through his glare back a Rajura, “We’ll be fine.”

Exasperated, "Whatever, do try not to cause a scene. I'd hate to have this caravan pull over because you children couldn't keep your hands to yourselves and your mouths shut." Rajura replied, thinking they're grown men who've never really been prone to taking orders. Rajura learned quickly that if he wants them to do something, he has to manipulate them to do so. But, he's too tired to focus on doing that at the moment, he just wanted to rest. Let Seiji take over being the adult for a bit.

Naaza stepped forward, “Tenku, I will go with you.” 

Touma looked a little taken back, “Uh, sure. I guess I could pick your brain about how you survived drinking that stuff… if you don’t mind, that is.” 

“As you wish,” Naaza answered.

Shuu got a mischievous look, “Hey, little Lady,” He called to Kayura, “Why don’t you come with me and Shin! The fun-mobile is ready to roll!” Shuu was happy he made her smile while ignoring the glare from Rajura.

Seiji sighed. “I agree to take Anubisu and Shuten. If you agree,” he asked the two.

Shuten smiled, cutting off the sharp comment Anubisu was about to make, “I think that would be a great idea. Don’t you agree?” He said pointedly to Anubisu. As the other man started to answer, Shuten cut him off again, “Of course you do,” he said forcefully. “Right, Rajura, a perfect set-up? We can set certain rivalries to bed,” he laughed as Rajura scowled.

“Okay, then,” Seiji agreed, still slightly worried.

Kayura seemed to agree, “That’s a great idea. We all need to work together, right, Rajura-san?” she said with hopeful eyes. 

Tension seemed to drain out of Rajura’s shoulders at her look, “Of course, My Lady.” Her smile was worth it.

“Alright!” Shuu called, “let’s get this stuff loaded and hit the road!” They move to pick up the equipment, dividing it between the cars. Ryo wanted the supplies divided equally in case anyone got lost or the needed to split up. 

Shin quietly approached Seiji as he was arranging his practice weapons into an easier to reach position in the trunk. “Are you going to be alright?” Shin asked, concerned. “We can always switch our Masho out.”

Seiji shook his head, “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be alright. Kayura and Shuten are right – we need to work out the hostilities. I just don’t know how willing he is.” 

Shin smiled sadly, “You never know.” He patted Seiji’s shoulder and let him to his task. He called to Shu to lift some of the heavier stuff.

Outside, Anubisu confronted Shuten, “What are you playing at, ‘setting certain rivalries to bed’?” He growled. 

“It’s true. We are a team, and all of us need to play nice. Maybe that’s why we’re here, to get over this hostility,” Shuten answered, touching Anubisu’s arm.

“Whatever,” he answered, shrugging off the touch and going to get more supplies. 

Finally ready, they headed out. Nasuti led the way, followed by Seiji, Shin, and Touma.

The car line passed by the lake where Ryo, Shu, and Shin fought the giant centipede. The water rippled gently, the scars in the mud from their fight were either too far away to see or washed away. 

In the last car, Touma noticed something bobbing in the water. It looked like a segmented cylinder, although massive. I wonder if that’s what the guys fought? Then, he caught the scent of lavender again. He knew it wasn’t his car – they had to push wrappers and other junk out of the way just to get in. Usually, his car was a mix of stale air and whatever food he grabbed on his way home.

“That looks exciting, do you see that?” Touma pointed out to Naaza. 

“Looks like something that lives in the lake,” he answered a bit disinterested, reading a book he found on the floor. 

Touma agreed, “At least here it does.”

“This is a weird world we’re in now,” Naaza answered. “Would you explain some of what I see here? There are words I don’t recognize, o with slashes through, and other letters with dots over them.”

Touma looked over, seeing Schrödinger as one of the words confusing Naaza. “Okay, well, I need to start a bit farther back. Otherwise, you’re not going to get how the cat’s dead and alive…”

Farther forward, Rajura had his arms crossed and head down as he tried to sleep. Kayura started excitedly but soon subdued. Kayura found her stomach turned a little each time the car lurched. So these were automobiles? And people got used to this? Empty city streets worried her. Where had all the people gone? She spied laundry on clotheslines, hanging lifelessly with no wind. She knew this is what the city looked like when Arago attacked.

“Rajura-san… I’ll do my best. I promise,” Kayura said, turning to the man sitting behind her.

“I know you will, Kayura,” Rajura answered with a small smile.

“Um,” she turned to Shin a little uneasy, “do we have to go this fast?” 

He raised on eyebrow and said to her, “This is less than the speed limit. Are you okay?”

Kayura shook her head turned a little green. Shuu noticed and unbuckled himself, leaning into the back of the hatchback. He grabbed a camping bucket and gave it to her. “Just put that between your knees and hold onto it.” Kayura nodded knowingly. Shin smiled back at him through the rearview mirror.

Shuu looked over to see Rajura watching him intently. He shrugged. “Hey, I got little sisters, too.” Rajura nodded his thanks and went back to trying to sleep.

Seiji did his best to concentrate on driving. The rumble of the car was comforting and familiar, silently reassuring in how ordinary it was compared to everything else. It wasn’t hard to follow Nasuti with no other vehicles besides theirs on the road, but he was also keeping a watch for monsters and anything new and strange in the town they were approaching. 

Mostly, though, he felt the uncomfortable silence in the car. Anubisu had his arms folded across his chest, stubbornly glaring out the window, nominally keeping watch. Seiji could see how he went rigid anytime there was a large bump or if Seiji took a turn a bit fast. He wasn’t nearly as comfortable as he pretended to be. 

In the back, Shuten was equally silent, if seemingly more relaxed. He had more experience with the modern world thanks to the time he’d spent with Nasuti and Jun locating the Jewel of Life. 

Unfortunately, Seiji wasn’t as comfortable with him as Nasuti and Ryo were. And he wasn’t wholly convinced the man sitting in the backseat of his car was the same as the one who’s sacrificed himself to destroy Arago. Death surely changed a person, after all.

Shuten leaned forward and said into Anubisu's ear, "Say something to him."

"Shut up," Anubisu hissed back, focusing on the distant trees to keep himself calm.

Shuten sat back, so it's up to me. "Seiji, how is your family dojo? The sword techniques you use, are they purely your family style, or were you granted phenomenal wisdom from your armor?" He prodded, knowing both of the men in front of them had a great deal of interest in the topic.

Seiji considered the question, sensing Shuten’s well-intentioned desire behind it. “It is the style used by the Date family,” he said after a few moments. “I was taught to use a sword by my grandfather, who still runs the dojo. My sisters also learned the techniques even though it doesn’t hold as much interest for them.”

"And your family is well established in the Mutsu province, is it not? A long line of Dates tracing back before Date Masamune. I don't know much about northern Japan, but you do, Anubisu, right?" Shuten said sweetly.

Without looking at either of them, Anubisu answered, "It's been a very long time since I was there. Things change." 

"Just like currently rivalries and blood feuds," Shuten said with satisfaction. "So, Seiji, would you tell me more about your family. Or, what you like outside of training?"

“Well, as I said before, my grandfather is the master of the family dojo and the head of the house. My mother assists him while my father works as a police officer. He helps keep the peace and enforce the law,” he added in case the Masho were unfamiliar with the term ’police.’ “My older sister is a healer, and my younger sister is still in school. She has not chosen her path in life yet but does not believe it includes kendo.” He wanted to ask about the Masho’s family but hesitated, worried about stumbling onto a sensitive topic.

"You must be worried about them, as I'm sure all of you are. Family is important, even if it's just the family we choose for ourselves." Shuten stated. "Our families are long gone, and we only have each other."

Seiji nodded, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “I am concerned. They remained safe during Arago’s attacks, but I’m concerned they’re truly in danger now. Especially since we know so little about what’s happening right now.”

Shuten places a hand on Seiji's shoulder, "We will figure out what is happening." He looked to Anubisu, who watched Seiji curiously. Shuten continued, "And none of us will be left alone or behind." Anubisu turned away, but Shuten was satisfied. He waited for one of the two to say something now.

Seiji glanced at Shuten’s reflection in the rearview mirror. This reminded him of the monk who’s help fight Arago, whereas his earlier behavior recalled him before he turned away from evil. Perhaps he had simply had several wildly different sides to his personality, or different personas he deployed depending on with whom he was dealing. It was hard to tell. “I’m sure your own families and clans have accomplished great things over the centuries. They must have notable histories to have produced such strong warriors.”

Anubisu snorted, and Shuten quickly tapped him on the back of his head. “All of yoroi were given to strong families,” Shuten said, receiving a glare from Anubisu. “My family hails from the Koma line that served during the reign of Emperor Tenji, and we established Saitama Koma-jinja.”

“Saitama Koma-jinja is an important symbol of peace in this era. The priests there have maintained your family’s bloodline, I believe.”

“Of course,” He answered. “Now, even I heard of Data Masamune, who is your ancestor, but after my time, I believe.”

Listening to the others, Anubisu enjoyed imagining how horrible Korin would feel if he brought out the Date clan killed his family and the whole village. But, then, his thoughts faltered. What could Korin do? The past couldn’t be changed. Nothing now would matter. And there were things he would like to learn from Seiji, his sword work and fighting skills. Why hurt someone who could understand me? 

“Sasaki,” Anubisu said softly, deciding to take a chance. 

Seiji blinked in surprise, casting another glance at Anubisu. Then, smiling faintly, and bobbed his head and shoulders in a small bow. “Seiji,” he replied. “I would be honored if you would use my given name.”

Anubisu nodded back but refrained from saying anything. But, something uncoiled inside, a fear he didn't even realize was there vanished.¬¬¬¬¬

Seeing Anubisu finally relax, Shuten sat back, beaming in triumph. 

~

Driving past the residential homes on their way to the city, the group noticed odd things. Residential homes had their curtains drawn, but no lights peeked out. Streetlights were dark, and cars sat empty in driveways and on the sides of the road. No oily rain was falling, and a lighter gray blanket of clouds concealed a clear view of the sky above. Although it brightened, it was still a dull, dreary day.

There didn’t seem to be a single soul wandering around at this hour. And strangely, no animals could be seen either.

Ryo was agreeing with Nasuti, pretty much with whatever she was saying. It seemed to help her anxiety to talk about all the possibilities of what may happen, from the trains running or not, to finding other people in the city. It seemed the longer Nasuti talked, the louder Byakuen purred, as if to drown out the sound. At least she’s driving reasonably, Ryo thought, as her nervousness could have made for a wild ride.

Inside the city proper, the group was greeted with more dark buildings and nonfunctional street lights. Abandoned bicycles were lying on their sides on the sidewalk. Convenience stores had their windows covered - some boarded up, others have newspaper or other papers plastered on the windows. It was purposeful but quickly done.

High above street level, linear scorch marks crossed melting windows and burned materials. “Naaza, have you seen anything like that before?” Touma asked, pointing up. 

“Hmm,” Naaza cocked his head, looking almost straight up, “I’m not exactly sure what could have made that. They are clearly scorch marks, very high heat to burn the buildings you have now, but not exposed enough to set the building on fire.”

Seiji gestured, as well, nodding towards the scorch marks. “That shouldn’t be possible. Have you ever seen marks like that before? And all the windows... Why are they covered?”

Anubisu snapped, unnerved by the scorch marks, “Why would I know why all these people are covering their windows.” He then paused, taking a deep breath, not wanting to go back to being enemies, “Sorry.” He muttered, “This isn’t something I’ve seen before.” 

Nasuti turned off the main road to lead the other cars towards the green building she knew was Fuji Hospital. Streets compressed and wound around clusters of buildings. “...I wish I knew where everyone was. It’s like when Arago kidnapped everyone. All the streets were empty…” 

The residences surrounding the hospitals were quiet. The streets were clean, though eerily dark. The group hadn’t seen a single soul in their short drive into the city. Unlike Arago’s attack, the surrounding buildings did not appear to have sustained massive damage. No ominous castle floated in the sky above the city. Nasuti could find a modicum of comfort in that one fact.


	8. Chapter 8

Pulling into Fuji Hospital’s parking lot, Nasuti waited for the others to park.

“Ah… I survived my… first car ride.” Sighing, Kayura raked her hand through her hair and straightened her kimono. “I… dislike it.”

Shuu reached up and patted her shoulder, “You did alright, kid.” He chirped as Kayura turned and beamed at him. Shuu took back the bucket, keeping it within reach for the ride home. “How’d you fare on your first car ride?” Shuu asked Rajura.” Get a good nap?”

“It was enough,” Rajura replied, watching Kayura getting out of the car. “And, thank you for helping her.” He added quietly.

“Just call me big brother Shuu!” He said proudly.

Seiji paused before getting out of the car after they reached the hospital. “Do you have a preference on when I use your given name as opposed to your Masho name?”

"Anubisu. No one else knows." He answered, thankful for Seiji’s politeness.

Seiji bowed his head in acknowledgment. “The hospital looks undamaged, at least,” Seiji commented as he got out.

The four Masho joined together behind Shin’s car, watching the Troopers and Kayura do the same by Nasuti and Ryo. Anubisu thought he could smell lavender, but it was gone as fast as it came.

“No one should go on their own,” Rajura said eyeing the Troopers and remembering how easy it was to get them along before, “splitting up is a bad idea.”

“Agreed,” Anubisu answered. “We do need them, as we never took the time to learn about this modern world and its pitfalls. But, they have no idea how to survive without their gadgets.”

Rajura agreed, nodding to the Troopers, “We’ll keep an eye on them, and look for linens and food. We can make sure all of us have what we need to survive.”

They all nodded and Naaza added, “I want to find any medicines they have. Without our armors, we may not heal as fast.”

Turning to the Troopers, they heard Seiji say, “I’d think we should take a closer look at the burned buildings. Shall we do that after the hospital?”

“I would like to explore the buildings with scorch marks,” Rajura agreed as the two groups joined together. “We should gather supplies first from this hospital, then continue.”

“We need to keep a look out for tools, rope,” Anubisu said. “Especially carpentry materials and wood.” He received several odd looks. “The places here are fortified for a reason. We may have to do the same.

“That makes sense,” Touma answered as the other agreed.

Moving to the hospital, they noticed the electronic door was closed and did not respond to anyone’s approach. While the Masho were unsure why the Troopers stopped at the door, the Troopers knew without electricity, the doors wouldn’t open.

On the door was a lovely painted sign depicting a woman with wild hair and dark skin, a serpent coiled around her. Text beneath it was painted in red and was incomprehensible to the group.

“Hey! I know that!” Shuu called out. “That’s an African spirit, Mama something.”

“Mami Wata,” Shuten finished. “A water spirit.”

As Rajura frowned at the sign, he wished he could understand what was written. Slowly, the letters started to move, reforming into Japanese and he jumped back, wide-eyed. From his defensive ready position, he looked around to see who did that – only to notice none of the others had moved, although the other Masho took their cue from him and were scanning the area for danger.

“What’s got your panties in a knot?” Shuu asked.

Glaring at him, Rajura answered, “The sign changing as we looked at it doesn’t concern you?”

The others looked at the sign, and Touma said, “Uh… the sign hasn’t moved.”  
  


Rajura looked back at the sign, clearly reading the Japanese script that wasn’t there when the approached, “I can read this now, and no one sees anything changed? You can’t read this.” Several ‘No’s and shaking heads met him. Rajura breathed deeply to gain dominion over his panic.

“It says, ‘The doctor is not in right now. Please come back later.’” Rajura read from the poster.

“Do you trust it, Rajura-san?” Kayura asked cautiously. But, Rajura didn’t know how to answer that.

Ryo cut in, “Well, it’s not exactly a warning, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t go in.”

“Alright!” Shuu cried. “Let me open these doors.” Arms strong enough to open the gates to Youjakai easily overcame the non-functioning electronics. The doors slid as easily as shoji screens under Shuu’s hands. “There we go, open for business!”

They entered the lobby of the hospital. No lights shone, but enough daylight came in from various windows. Magazines sat on chairs and cups of what looked like coffee sat on a table. Everything looked just like people just left everything to sit, as if they would be right back.

There was an odd smell of old disinfectant, body odor, and stale air. It was unpleasant, but not revolting. At least it didn’t smell of rotting flesh.

Shin’s ears perked up, “Hey, I think I hear running water.” He said to the others quietly. The others stopped to listen, hearing the welcome sound. “Let’s check it out.”

The others gave no argument. As they moved down the hall to the left, they saw several rooms. Some were obviously supply closets, containing towels, bandages, and other cleaning supplies. Some were offices.

Anubisu picked up a few of the bandages, handing one to Naaza, “We should take a few of these now, just in case we can’t get back here later.”

“We can make a pile in the lobby, get it all ready now.” Touma agreed. “You know, so we can grab stuff in case we need to make a run for it.”

“Oh, that’s a nice thought,” Shuu said sarcastically.

“They both have a point,” Naaza spoke up. “Everyone hold onto one to two things now. That way, we have something. And, we’ll put the rest in the lobby.”

“Should we take this?” Shin questioned, concerned. “I don’t want to steal from anyone possibly living here.”

Shuten grabbed a few things, putting them in pockets, “Then, they should have guarded their stuff better.” The other Masho nodded in agreement.

“Shin’s right,” Shuu argued. “We can’t just take from someone else just because we can.”

Nasuti stepped up between everyone. “I know what you are saying, Shin, but we haven’t seen anyone. If we find people here, we won’t take anything. How does that sound?” The rest agreed and started piling towels, blankets, and other materials in the lobby.

Once done, they followed the sound of running water through a set of doors further in the hospital. Seiji continuously looked for signs of life, habitation, or graffiti, stretching his senses for anything. Something tickled his thoughts, but he just couldn’t place it. He hoped for a nurse’s station or something similar where they might find a pass card for locked doors.

The hall of exam rooms looked like the lobby, untouched as if people just disappeared. But, as they moved farther down, things stood out. An empty jar where cotton balls usually sat. A drawer open with nothing in it. An empty glove box.

But, it was the last rooms in the hall that were oddest. The missing supplies ended up here, in a couple of rooms, piled like abandoned children’s toys.

“It’s here!” Shin cried happily across the hall.

In the last room to the right stood a beautiful fountain. Shimmering grey marble gently spilled sparkling water. Three expertly carved fish poured water from their mouths, letting it splash into the basin.

Noticing a poster on the wall, Rajura looked closer, only mildly surprised this time to see the words swirl and reform. “If I’m not in, please drink this water, it will help you feel better.” He read the words aloud to others.

Naaza shrugged, heading right for the fountain. Scooping out the water before anyone could protest, he drank it. He nodded with a light smile before taking another drink.

Seiji, a little disturbed by how easily Naaza approaches the unknown and consumes it, asked Touma, “Does this remind you of anything from that book you read?” Out of curiosity, Seiji tried the sink, but nothing came out.

Touma shook his head, “No, but it’s like a haunted house.”

Anubisu went up to Naaza, questioning, “Well?”

He shook off his hands, “It’s safe. It actually tastes like it came right out of a stream.” Anubisu nodded and took a drink himself.

“Hey!” Shuu called as he ran out of the room. “I have a camping jug in the car; I’ll be right back!” Several cries followed for him to wait for the others and Byakuen rushed after him.

“Don’t,” Rajura commanded, stopping everyone. “We wait. If we hear something or he doesn’t come back shortly, we go after him. But for right now, we don’t split up.” There were grumbled protests, but no one else left.

And they waited, counting seconds. Just as Touma got to the five-minute mark, 295 seconds to be exact, they heard Shuu coming back down the hall. Shin and Seiji shared a knowing smile watching Touma breathe a sigh of relief.

“Here we go!” Shuu called out, holding a 5-gallon camping jug. “Water for a day, at least for drinking.”

As Shuu started filling the container, Touma joined him, filling his own water bottle. All the while, the Troopers took turns telling Shuu how dangerous and stupid it was to go off on his own in this place. Some of the descriptions impressed the Masho.

After they all drank and filled various bottles, they returned to the main lobby. Checking the stairway to the second floor, they found it was piled with debris and large beds, haphazard, _like renovation garbage_ , Touma thought. A quick discussing led to Ryo and Shuu being outvoted for climbing over the stuff to see what was upstairs.

Looking up at the debris, Seiji reached out with his awareness again. There was something, just on the edges of his senses, but he couldn’t quite catch it. And he knew it wasn’t upstairs.

“Hey! Look at this!” Ryo called. The group moved over to a set of inconspicuous doors down a side hallway, pulled open to reveal a dark stairwell going down. It was pitch black.

Touma fiddled with his flashlight, “Hold on a sec…” He shined it down, only to reveal a wall as the stairs turned. “Maybe we can send Byakuen?” The tiger huffed his response.

Rajura looked to Anubisu, “Would you want to delve into the depths of darkness, as you are want to do?” He gestured to the stairs.

“Even I need some light to see,” He retorted.

“We can take my flashlight. Will that work?” Touma asked, curious to go down.

Anubisu nodded, “Very well. Who’s going to join us?” Byakuen moved up beside him.

“I’ll go,” Shuten said, joining them as well.

“Do we want to send Byakeun in front of or behind? He could end up blocking our path, so which is better?” Touma asked.

“I’ll go first, the tiger next. Until we get down there, keep that thing off.” Anubisu said moving to the stairs.

As the group went down, Anubisu thought Tenku was going to get them killed if there was something down there. The boy was tripping on his own feet. But, as it turned out, nothing approached them. Anubisu could just barely make out hard edges, but it was too dark otherwise. “Tenku, turn on the light now.” He said quietly.

Touma fiddled with the switch, the light bright – and shining right in Anubisu’s face. As he staggered back, cursing, Touma quickly moved the light around, hearing Shuten laughing behind him. “Poor lord of darkness.” Touma heard his say quietly in a sing-song voice.

As he swung the light around, he saw metal tables, metal cabinets, large sinks, cutting boards, a walk-in refrigerator, and knives. “Hey, we found the kitchen,” He said, turning back to the others. He saw Anubisu push Shuten’s hand away from him, still rubbing his eyes. He wasn’t going to touch that one, so he started digging through cabinets.

Together, they piled a variety of dried foods, knives, canned foods, lots of beans… many different kinds of beans, and other preserved foods. Touma called up to the others they found food, enough for several days.

Shuu shouted back down, “See if you find the cans of chocolate pudding!”

“No promises, bro,” He answered.

“Just look!”

Upstairs, Seiji poked around one of the nurse’s stations just off the lobby. It had all the standard stuff, even a pair of slippers under the table. It was like people just vanished, like the Rapture. As the others brought boxes of foodstuff up, he muttered to himself. “It’s strange. No one seems to have noticed anything strange or tried to fight or run away from anything.”

Touma called Shu over, “Hey, I found your pudding.” He handed Shu a large can.

“Awesome!” Shuu took it, excited… only to find it was Tapioca, “Ugg… I fuckin’ hate tapioca.” Seeing Touma laughing, his eyes sparkling, Shuu had to laugh, too, “You got me, good job, bro.”

Seiji took one last look at the nurse’s station. Shuu was complaining about tapioca pudding, of all things, and his voice bounced through the hospital’s quiet halls. _Where the others still with him? Surely Shuu wouldn’t be grumbling if something had happened..._ Sudden anxiety made Seiji’s stomach twist, and he reached out with his senses, trying to find the others.

Just as suddenly, Seiji felt as though a switch was thrown in his head – like a circuit was suddenly complete. The hospital gleamed in his mind, areas of light and dark explicitly clear. He could sense the good intentions of the medical staff, their sincere desire to help and heal radiating with a sense of power he’d never felt before.

That wasn’t all, though. Echoes of evil hissed at him, cruelty and a desire to poison, harm, and kill. He shivered, suddenly horrified. To think that such evil haunted these houses of healing…

Seiji’s senses were bombarded by evil, though it took him a few moments to pinpoint its source. Following those tendrils of danger through the air, he’d discovered something... something damaging.

A presence had clung to one of them, seeping into their very being and twisting their mind. It was so subtle that no one else seemed to have noticed it—

Looking up, Seiji caught the eye of Shuten, and something flashed briefly into existence in Seiji’s mind. A spirit, something evil, had its grasp on the monk.

The evil presence was a dark, malevolent presence, an invisible black hole working on sucking away their light and turning them against each other. It turned Shuten’s body and began to approach Anubisu - Sasaki - ill intentions pouring off him like falling rain. Seiji vaulted over the high side of the nurse’s station, a warning erupting out of him. “Anubisu, Shuten’s being controlled by something!”

Anubis turned to Seiji at the call of his name. But, hearing what was said, swung his attention to Shuten, seeing him approach with an eerie smile on his face. Anubisu backed off, suddenly wary of what this change meant. Shuten cocked his head. "What's the matter? Don't you trust me? Or are you going to believe your new _friend_?"

The mace sprang into Seiji’s hand. The evil presence was stupidly obvious now. How had he missed it? He wanted his armor, needed it and the Light it produced to reveal the truth. As the mace rose into the air, Seiji felt strange words tumbling out of his mouth, the shape of it strange and mysterious in his mouth. He wasn’t speaking, no, something was working _through him_. The mace began to glow with a familiar radiance, the comforting Light of Korin illuminating everything around them.

Shuten dodged the physical mace, repulsed by the light. He lunged sideways, throwing himself at Anubisu, who deflected him, tripping him to the ground. Anubisu placed himself between Seiji and Shuten as the others approached. "Stop! What do you think you're doing?" He shouted at Shuten.

Rajura took stock of the situation before him and looked to Naaza with a nod. Hoping he'd follow his lead, he rushed to take up a position at Shuten's side and hoped to keep him in one place. Thankfully, Naaza read his signal just fine, taking up the opposite side as the two grappled with the resurrected Masho.

"Don't be frightened, my darling. It will be alright.” Shuten fairly purred, being bound by Rajura and Naaza.

A lip curled up in disgust as Rajura wrestled to keep the man in check. "What happened, Anubisu??"

Anubisu looked back to Seiji, "What _is_ going on?"

Touma turned his head in the direction of the fight, "What the actual fuck?" He drew out an arrow but didn't notch it, "Seiji?"

“Shuten is possessed,” Seiji snarled. “I don’t know how I missed it!”

Looking at the face that he saw so often under Arago, Anubisu wondered how they missed it, as well. "How do we get rid of it? Kayura, can you..."

Seiji shot forward, his glowing mace in hand. He swung it at Shuten, aiming squarely at the demonic presence. An inhuman screech tore through the air as the glowing weapon hit not Shuten, but the evil force now fully illuminate and revealed before them. It’s dark, hulking figure swamped Shuten’s body, too large to be wholly contained in a mere human frame. It reached out an unnatural hand, grasping towards Anubisu.

Seiji didn’t hesitate to swing again. The Light burned, causing the demon the screech in agony as the weapon collided with it again. The radiant Light brightened more and more until it seemed to fill up the room. Then, whether destroyed or merely driven out, the dark presence flickered... and vanished.

Seiji panted, the weapon dangling in his hand. Electricity seemed to run through him, along with a painful longing for his armor. He’d thought he’d come to terms to life without the armor, and then to possessing it once again. To have lost it this time was painful and left him feeling unsettled.

As his pounding heart began to slow, Seiji felt more and more adrift. He didn’t know how he’d done that, what words had summoned that burning Light, but was confident that given time, he’d understand. He noticed the others blinking and rubbing their eyes after the dazzling display.

Touma walked quickly over to Seiji and put a hand on his shoulder, "What.. how the hell did you do that? Are you alright?" He hadn't seen Seiji do anything like that for a while. It was almost like his bestie was channeling Korin again. He stole a glance over to Shuten.

Anubisu knelt down in front of Shuten, who was hanging limp from Rajura's and Naaza's grip. He slapped Shuten's face, "Wake up."

Shuten moaned, coming too, "What?" He slurred. Suddenly, he shot up, "Mazikeen! It's inside me. It's-"

"It’s dead," Anubisu finished. "And I want to know how long it's been with you and why the hell you would allow it to possess you. Did you really miss your armor that bad?"

"I didn't," Shuten begged. "It latched onto me during the ceremony that brought me back. I tried to warn you, but...” He looked to Rajura and Naaza for help. “But, it kept me in the dark for so long. I only saw the world for moments, here and there."

Shin walked over to Shuten to check for any injuries. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Anubisu stood, stopping Shin from getting close. "We don't know if it's truly gone yet. Just wait, he's fine enough."

“It’s gone,” Seiji panted. “Everything’s... I can see a lot more now, somehow. It’s definitely gone.” Reluctantly, Anubisu let Shin check Shuten.

Shuu released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He had moved on instinct and pushing Kayura behind himself. What if it tried to jump? Aim at Kayura? He'd gotten kind of attached to her. He removed his palm from her shoulder and relaxed. "Sorry, Little Lady. I didn't hurt you when I shoved you, right?" He asked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

_How could they miss such a thing?_ She thought. At least, it seemed the worst was over. Reaching up to pat Kongo on the head, she smiled. “Thank you, Kongo-san. Don’t fret over me. I still remember how to handle myself, but your concern is appreciated.”

Shuu blushed bright red and ducked his head lower. "Aaaah. I know, I know. Sorry. But the Big Brother thing is an INSTINCT. Be patient with me if I slip and do it again. I'll try not to." He stammered, crossing his arms into his armpits, embarrassed how much her smile was like his baby sister, Chun Fa.

Rajura had stayed mostly silent during all the excitement as he watched on, noting the slight cringe on Naaza's face as he felt the rush of deja vu wash over him. As their fellow Masho seemed more in control of his senses, the one-eyed illusionist cautiously began to let go of his grip on Shuten.

Shin looked over Shuten and discovered he is not physically hurt, “You’re a bit dehydrated and underweight.” Shin said as he handed Shuten his water bottle and a snack.

"Go ahead and look him over, Naaza." Rajura spoke quietly, then looked at the red-head. "For all our sakes, I truly hope that's you in there now." He then sought Kayura’s safety, "Is everyone still in control of their faculties? No other lingering evil spirits hiding amongst us?"

Naaza, for his part, tries to make sure nothing was missed, realizing that Shin had done an admirable job. He nodded his approval. "He'll be fine. Relatively speaking."

"Good," Anubisu snapped. "Now, what did that thing want?"

Shuten shook his head, “I don't know. I didn't see... I wasn't there when it was in control. I kept waking up in different places before it pulled me back under."

"Really," Anubisu drew out. "Convenient how it was able to pass itself off as you without anyone noticing." The insinuation that Shuten allowed this to happen.

Touma turned back to the Masho, "Wait a sec. Waking up in different places..? Shuten, do you not remember anything between those times?"

"Is that truly so strange?" Rajura cocked an eyebrow at Anubisu, resting a hand on Shuten's shoulder. "First, we reveled in his return, more than happy to overlook any odd behavior. Then, the armor was stolen, and our focus was on finding it and getting it back. We – I dismissed it as Shuten working through the trauma of sacrificing himself only to be returned to the living. We had more important things to worry about than to address what was wrong with him." Sheepishly, the Masho gave the Oni warlord a quick, apologetic look.

Shuten looked up to Rajura, hopefully. "I don't remember... Or it's like being asleep. I knew time passed, but I had no idea what happened." Shuten looked to each of them. “Did I hurt anyone?”

"No," Anubisu snarled, "No one was hurt. Seiji saw to that. Tell me, what's the last thing you do remember?”

"We- we just arrived at Nasuti's home. I hoped with the jewel and shajuko together, I could..." Shuten trailed off. "I remember it laughing, sometimes, laughing so hard."

Anubisu shook his head, frustrated, "We need to move on. Gather what we have and get out of here." He turned and walked away, grabbing some stuff.

Rajura studied Anubisu as he walked away in frustration, making a mental note to ask him on it later. For the moment, he placed a hand under Shuten's arm, hoisting him to his feet. "Can you stand?"

Shuten nodded, steadying himself. As he looked around, he noticed the chaos, "I missed a lot, didn't I?"

It was Naaza that gave him a somewhat dismissive pat as he left to follow Anubisu. "Not to worry, we're only slightly less clueless than you as to what's going on. You'll catch up quickly." Rajura nodded to Naaza and filled Shuten in on what had transpired in the past two days.

Not wanting to stick around for the awkwardness of confronting the real Shuten resurrected, Naaza chose instead to follow in Anubisu's footsteps. He might even be able to identify any medicines this hospital had tucked away. But when he did catch up to Anubisu, he could sense the man's tension in the air; Anubisu never was much good at hiding how he felt.

Slicing another strap from an abandoned bed, Anubisu felt no less angry. But, ropes were useful, and cutting them like this diffused some energy. Until he heard Naaza behind him, hearing the twist in his step unique to him. "What do you want, I don't need a nursemaid." He barked.

If he had eyebrows, he might have raised one in confusion. "Looking for supplies, same as you." He opened up a cabinet and started to peruse the contents like a bored teenager. "Besides, we aren't supposed to split up, remember?"

Anubisu slammed his knife down, "Don't give me that bullshit."

Naaza blinked owlishly, a little startled but not outwardly so. "And what bullshit is that? Weren't you the one agreeing with Rajura on that point?"

Backing down a bit, "He didn't send you to talk to me?" Anubisu said.

Another slow blink and he turned around to face the dark-haired man. "Me? Talk about...feelings? If that's a joke, I must be missing the punchline. Which isn't exactly new for me, but besides the point..."

Going back to cutting up cords, Anubisu was quiet for a few minutes. Then, curiosity took over, "The thing that possessed him is really gone, then? This is our Shuten?" He asked.

Naaza only offered a shrug before turning back to open up a drawer. "Honestly? I hadn't been paying very close attention. I know he was agitating you in particular, almost specifically targeting you now that I think about it. But Korin seems to think the danger has passed, and he does seem a lot more composed."

"Agitating," Anubisu said, mocking, "That's one word for it." He laughed, a tad too high pitched, "And he doesn't remember... How convenient."

The olive-skinned warlord removed a pair of cloth-cutting shears, gauze, and a small cardboard box. He gave it a shake, and the contents rattled noisily inside. "Remember what?" It an off-handed comment, the man more focused on his task than what was being said.

Anubisu froze. The one specific memory played out in his mind. He forced himself to move, continue cutting, and ended up cutting himself, cursing. The cut was shallow across his thumb but started to bleed.

"Hmm?" The snake turned around, tilting his head like a curious animal as he watched him nursing the slice. He sighed. _Time to put on the medic's cap_. "Well, at least we're surrounded with medical supplies. Let me have a look at it."

He held out his hand to Naaza, knowing he would help, but the cure might hurt worse than the injury.

Anubisu had every right to be wary of Naaza - his bedside manner alone was atrocious - but luckily, the cut wasn't too deep. "Looks like a simple wrap would do. I think- yes, these 'band-aids' should do the trick." He took out one of the flat papers from the box he'd shaken earlier, skimmed over the directions on the side, and peeled off the parchment from the sticky ends before placing it snuggly over the wound.

"Hmm. Not bad. It doesn't waste nearly as much material as I would have had to use otherwise."

"Thank you," Anubisu said. He paused awkwardly. "I'm an idiot." He finally admitted, defeated sounding.

The admission brought forth a short, low chuckle. "What is the phrase? Admission is the first step towards enlightenment? Or some such nonsense." He turned away to brush the trash aside and look for more of the useful little bandages.

"I trusted him," Anubisu said, "but it was the demon inside him." Thinking back to some of the warning signs he ignored.

Naaza seemed unaffected by his words. "Yes, it was." He paused, looking up for a moment in thought. "I suppose trust is in short supply among us, isn't it?" He turned his head to look at him, puzzled. "Trusted him with what?"

Anubisu debated. They were becoming friends and it meant something important. "He said he... cared for me. And I thought..." He rubbed the bandage absently, dismissing the idea of telling Naaza how far things went. He turned away and started organizing the straps he cut. "I should have known better." He continued quietly, half to himself. "I'm a fool to think I could have that."

Then, Anubisu thought _Great, hand another weapon to someone I'm starting to trust. When am I going to learn?_ He stood up. "Look, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this together and move on."

Naaza tensed at his words. _Oh no. Nope. Not good_ – he followed Anubisu so that he wouldn't have to deal with emotions. _How the hell did I get myself into this??_ But to his relief, the other seemed eager to move past the confession and get back to the task at hand. Naaza nodded and turned away, gathering his little pile of goodies to take back with them.

Kayura ran up to Anubisu and Naaza as they returned, “Look what I found!” She said so excitedly. In her hands were clothes with butterflies on it. “They’re so cute! I opened some of the locked cabinets, just like you taught me, Anubisu-san, and I found these. Can I keep them?”

“Good job,” Anubisu said with a half-smile. Kayura squealed and bounced away.

“Hey!” Shuu called out. “If everyone just poofed in the middle of what they were doing, how did all the stuff get into the stairwell? If I remember right, working in Uncle Chin’s hotel, that’s a fire hazard!”

Rajura answered, “Perhaps this Mami Wata did all that.”

Touma looked up from where he was explaining what some of the medications they found were to Naaza, “Maybe we should come back when the doctor is in?”

“Yes, she seems like a nice doctor,” Shu said sarcastically, “She seems nice... inviting us in to drink water. Maybe she won’t kill us the minute she sees us.”

“Yet, someone to converse would help determine what’s going on.” Rajura reasoned as he sorted out some of the food stuffs.

“Let’s go out and look around, then,” Shu said. “I’m dying for a Jack Link.” Some of the Troopers laughed, but everyone else ignored him.

Rajura just sighed, “Let’s just go.”

As they left the hospital, taking the supplies to the car, Rajura pulled Anubisu to the side. “Are you alright?” He asked. “What the demon said back there, what he implied-“

Anubisu cut him off, “I’ll be fine.”

Rajura assessed Anubisu but decided to let it be. “Alright. We’ll talk about this later…” he trailed off, noticing something behind them.

A wall next to the alley had a bunch of posters, overlapping and partially pealing to show even more underneath. Rajura called the others over.

(Japanese) MEATS MEATS MEATS MEAT---DOWN STREET TURN LEFT MEATS MEATS YUM YUM

(Korean) Restaurant Opening Soon!! Dokkaebi Network

(Broken English) EnGlISh SKOOL mebbe - peNSilz neeDed don8 peNSilz

(English) WIZ LFG SEND TELL

(Japanese) Sisters! Otaku Shop, Clothing & Accessories Emporium, just down the street! You can’t miss it! Come visit~ n0n :heart: Saori & Kasane

(English) WHO KEEPS SHITTING HERE??

(underneath that) your mom

(Japanese) Help us clean out some more dwellings! More are arriving all the time. We could use the help! Inquire at the black building.

Stick figures either shoveling rocks or playing a guitar. It’s tough to tell.

(English) Remember the sound! Hide when you hear the sound! It doesn’t care about the food-machines or the lights but it doesn’t like you! Remember what happened to the apartment block?? DON’T BE STUPID

(Korean) Don’t go to the meat shop!!

(Korean) Kasane is sooooooo cute :heart: I hope she makes a CD or something

A crude drawing of butts

(Japanese) for a good time call Tetsu's mom

(Japanese) Does anyone have any booze? That stupid asshole keeps robbing our store. He’s a bully!

Rajura read all of the posters, with Shuu interjecting a little bit when he noticed Rajura’s English reading didn’t quite get transliterated properly.

“Well, it appears we're not alone out there,” Rajura finished. “Just, I suppose they just have to be found.”

Naaza gestured to one of the signs, “What would the Dokkaebi be doing here?”

“What are the Dokkaebi?” Touma asked, confused.

“Nasty little creatures,” Rajura answered with a shake of his head. “They can be nice to virtuous people, but tend to be little shits to everyone else.”

Ryo stepped in, “Should we continue exploring or head back?”

“We wanted to know more,” Touma said. “And there’s an otaku shop down just down the road. I know the owner, it’s called Tomodachi Anime.”

The others agreed, not having a plan for anything else. They noted the burn marks on some buildings and boarded-up windows in nearly every building. The whole place felt abandoned.


	9. Chapter 9

Soon, the group spied an old anime shop, three floors tall. All the windows were covered in a conglomerate of paper, wood planks, and what appears to be spider webs. The doors were closed and covered as well, and a long cord of spider web dangled on the left side of the door. The sign is covered in spider webs, but still readable.

On the end of the cord is an old metal bell. And next to the bell is a sign that reads in beautiful Japanese script: Ring the bell for service, please!

Rajura looked at the sign, “Shall we ring it, then?”

“You ring it,” Shuu said with a bit of disgust.

“Are you afraid of bugs, Kongo?” Rajura smirked at him.

Shu shook his head, “I’m not afraid of bugs, they’re… I’m just not in love with them.”

“Oh, very well,” Rajura answered, ringing the bell. The otherwise quiet streets were inundated with the ringing sound of the bell, and for a moment, nothing else changed. Then, a feminine voice came from somewhere within the building. “One moment, please!”

The door slowly started to open through a network of pulleys and spider thread. With each tug, the door opened just a little wider until it allowed the group inside. A feminine voice called from somewhere deep within the room. “Hello. Welcome to our shop! Oh, so many! We haven’t seen so many customers before… KASANE! Kasane, get down here! We have customers! Lots of them!”

“Let me guess,” Seiji whispered to Touma sarcastically, “it’s just like you remember.”

Touma shook his head, “Nope, this is NOT just like I remember it.” Kasane… Kasane… Kasane Tato, the Vocaloid? That didn’t make sense to him.

In the dark room, they see the silhouette of a woman. Rajura noticed she’s significantly taller than him, about eight feet. As she moved closer, she said, “Oh, oh hello. Oh my, you are very handsome, and your hair is just like our spider webs!”

Rajura laughs nervously, “Oh, thank you, madam.”

She moved more into the light, and they could finally see her. Half woman on top, half spider on the bottom, she wore a black Lolita costume that matched her body. What’s more, she did an awkward curtsy to them all. She is a Juurougumo, a spider woman. “Thank you very much for joining us. My name is Saori, and my little sister is upstairs. How can we help you?”

Shuu’s jaw dropped, seeing the spider woman, to where Shin had to lean over and whisper, “Close your mouth.” 

Rajura had better luck controlling himself and gave a formal bow that was awkwardly returned, “My companions are new in town, and we were perhaps looking for someone who could tell us some details about this city.”

She waved them from the door, “Oh, yes, do come in, do come in!” 

They moved through the shop, noticing clothing for cosplay is predominantly what lined the shelves and stands. In far back, they can see flickering lamps and sowing machines. Touma noticed the ceiling opened wide, missing the statues, and other valuable collectibles were gone oh, the Gundams. In its place, another large shape lowered itself, Kasane, the younger sister, wearing colorful Lolita clothes

Saori showed them all to a waiting room and made herself comfortable on a stool. The others took chairs that were crowded around the room, surprisingly finding just enough. Looks were exchanged on the perfect setup. “So,” Saori said, “you wanted to know about our town. When did you wake up?”

“Less than a day ago, I would say,” Rajura answered, sitting up front with Seiji and Shin. He was glad the other three Masho stayed toward the back, perfect for their defense.

“Oh!” Saori said, “We woke up hundreds of years ago. You wouldn’t believe what it’s taken us to get the shop looking the way it does

“Really, I think you’ve done a wonderful job with it,” Rajura answered smoothly.

Saori blushed. “My sister and I used to live in a beautiful place. Purple sky, golden waters, and three moons always floating above.” The Masho looked at each other, recognizing their home. “But, we fell asleep one day and woke up in this city. And now, we’re terrorized by an Oni who lives down the street, and we’ve had to board up the window because of all the noise.

“The noise,” Rajura asked, “was it from the Oni or something else?”

“Well,” She hesitated, “the Oni is such a, such a – I don’t want to…” 

“A boar?” Thinking of their own Oni.

“Oh,” Saori cried, “he’s a jerk, and I hate him so much! He just comes in here to bully us and call my butt fat.” She looked so hurt. “Well,” she continued, “you hear it more than you see it, but did you see the apartment block down the street?” 

“I’m not sure that I did,” Rajura answered.

“Well, let's just say they did not board up their windows like they should have and didn’t really listen to us. They were newcomers as well, and unfortunately, they are no longer with us, if you catch my meaning.”

Rajura nodded solemnly, “I believe I do.”

“Anyway,” She continued, “it doesn’t seem to care if we’re inside and we’ve boarded up all the windows, so it can’t see us, but we still need to do business and still keep the shop open as much as we can. But, if you feel it, I have some blanket, you can hide yourself under the blankets. And you’re so handsome, and I hope nothing happens to you.” She ended squeaking and blushing.

Rajura smiled charmingly, “I’m sure we’ll take care, and your concern is heartwarming.” 

Saori blushed harder as her sister made a gross face as she emerged from the back with a large tray. “So, so if you hear the sound and you’re able to look a little bit through the boards, I mean, I’ve seen it once, but Kasane hasn’t seen it at all, believe you me, you do not want to be noticed by it – it’s a gigantic creature, very, very large, and it seems to appear and disappear seemingly at will. It’s very terrifying, made of metal, very large eyes. It burns some of the buildings as you see.”

Kasane set the tray down and began pouring tea. It surprised Rajura they had enough cups, even if they were all mismatched. Overall, it was a nice, proper tea. 

As Kasane finished handing out the tea, Saori whispered, “Kasane, I need you to bring the special thing.”

Kasane looked shocked, “You just met this guy!”

While they were debating, Seiji tried to catch Naaza’s eye to see if the tea was safe. He thought if Shuu looked anymore nervous, he was going to drop his cup. 

But, Naaza sipped his tea, unconcerned. “The tea is quite tasty.” He announced. He noticed that others hesitantly took sips then, too. 

“Mythology not kind to the spider people,” Rajura commented, refocusing the tension. “But, I must say, this is good tea, proper tea.” He didn’t bother to look back to see Nasuti glower.

From the back, Kasane returns with a large box, flat (4’x6”) covered in beautiful red and gold paper. Saori was bouncing on all eight legs, doing tippy taps on the floor. Kasane rolled her eyes at Saori and presented the box.

Rajura was confused, “A gift for me?”

Kasane rolled her eyes again, “She thinks you’re going to be her boyfriend.” She said deadpan.

Saori chucked a plush Pikachu at Kasane, “Don’t listen to her!”

“I’m flattered,” Rajura said hesitantly.

Kasane folded her hand nicely, “There was a prophecy about a beautiful man who would come into the shop-“

“Shut up, Kasane!”

“Prophesized by who?” Rajura asked.

Saori laughed high and loud, waving her hands, “Oh, no one really. It’s just a gift, and it’s no big deal.”

Rajura turned to her, “Saori, I know we’re new in town, but I would much like to hear something about a prophecy if you don’t mind.” He said charmingly.

“Oh! Oh, so, when we first go there before we moved into the building, Delphi, she would sit on a stool, and she would tell about the future, and she said that my one-day husband would walk through the door with hair like spider webs and ohh…” Saori rushed through.

Rajura blinked, “Okay, and did this oracle say anything else?” He started to hear snickers from behind him.

Saori mumbled, turning an unusual shade of crimson. “Just that you were devastatingly handsome.” Kasane rolled her eyes.

Looking decidedly embarrassed, Rajura asked, “Oh, may I ask what’s in the box?”

“It’s a gift, from me to you,” Saori looked more interested, “that it was something that should facilitate your victory.” 

Shuu fell out of his chair, half in shock, half unable to contain his laughter anymore. The others were holding back, some better than others. Saori and Kasane looked concerned, but Shuu waved it off. “I’m okay, I’m okay, just being a klutz.” He laughed as Kasane moved around the group to check on him.

Rajura has an inkling about what it is as he carefully unwraps the package. Inside, is the most beautiful koto he ever saw, strung with silver spider webs—Rajura is taken aback at such a lovely gift.

Saori explained, “It has to be attuned, you have to have it with you for at least a day, but we did infuse it with as much magical energy as we could because is nothing is too good for my future husband. And, it will levitate in front of you, isn’t that great?”

“Yes, yes it is,” Rajura said absently, entranced by the instrument. “I’ve never had such a gift, such high quality and precision. I’m… Your generosity moves me. 

Kasane throws Pikachu back at Saori from back by the Masho, “You’re getting so gushy, you barely know this guy.

“You leave him alone!” Saori nearly shrieked. “He’s lovely, and you’re just jealous!”

Kasane rolls her eyes and looks at Anubisu, “Does this often happen to him? Or is this the first time someone’s thrown themselves at him?”

Anubisu shook his head, “No, it happens quite often.”

Kasane nodded, “That’s really annoying, isn’t it?”

“You have no idea.” 

“So, anyway,” She looked him up and down, “I think you look like more of a biker jacket kind of guy. I have one if you want.” Anubisu opened his mouth but was unsure what to say to that.

“Oh, so you’re flirting with the other one!” Saori threw the Pikachu back at her sister.

Kasane shrugged, “I mean, we make clothes; that’s how we make money.”

Touma helped Shuu up off the floor, “You okay, bro?”

Rubbing his head, “I’ll live. I’ll have nightmares involving flirting spiders, but I’ll live.”

Touma laughed, “Won’t we all?”

For the first time in a very long time, Rajura was left speechless. He lightly ran his fingertips along the elegant filigree, the beautiful flower branch, and lastly, the soft yet sturdy strings. He felt like he could marvel at it for far longer than he dared and gently set it aside. 

"You honor me with such a gift, Saori-san. I will treasure and use it wisely," he said softly, and despite the childish snickers from behind him, Rajura stood to offer the jorogumo woman a sincere and gracious bow.

Saori tittered, embarrassed, her hands on her cheeks. "O-oh, Rajura-san, you're so polite! It's really nothing. I only worked on it for a few years. Well, relatively speaking. Right, Kasane-chan?"

Kasane started working around the room, placing several coats and dresses on the makeshift steel racks strewn about the shop. "Relatively speaking. Now, can you stop being googly and help me price these?"

"Oh! Yes, well, I need to be sure Rajura-san and his companions are well-cared for first!"

Touma was still trying so hard not to struggle with the fact that one of his favorite shops for his nerd merch was now... well, this. An idea struck him, "Pardon me, Saori-san, Kasane-san," Looking at the spider hosts, he asked, "As my, um, friend says, we are new in town. When we arrived late last night, there were some creatures we ran into that tried to attack us."

Kasane paused halfway to a coat with the tagging gun. All modern tools, which was very odd, considering how archaic their species might have been. "Yes, you said you were new. Did you get attacked? Was it... what do they call it, onee-san?"

Saori looked up from dusting one of the many shelves stocked full of anime merchandise. "Oh, I think the ones in the apartment complex called it Hobart."

Kasane nodded. "Was it Hobart? Or something else that attacked you?" She continued pricing the new clothes.

Shuu made a face in Shin's direction. "Hobart was the name of some equipment in the kitchen at my culinary school," he whispered.

"I don't think so? It was something else. A small trio of Abura-Sumashi, and some sort of bugs," Rajura looked at Seiji for confirmation, "One that was a giant centipede and the others were more like beetles,” he nodded to Shin, “or cockroaches that could float through the floor." 

Both sisters made disgusted faces. "That sounds horrible. Are you alright?" Saori asked, obviously concerned. "I haven't seen any centipedes or beetles while we've been here. Have you seen any, Kasane-san?"

Finishing up her tagging, Kasane returned the gun to the front counter. On it sat a cash register. It was older, perhaps from the 80s or 90s. "No, no beetles or centipedes. Just the dokkaebi, but they're not so bad. They pay well when they come to the shop. Sometimes we see the Oni, and sometimes Mami Wata comes by to order more linens."

"Oh! The snake Doctor Lady!" Shuu said, forgetting to be afraid of them as the girls shifted ever closer to his sisters in his mind.

Saori nodded. "Yes! She's been here longer than we have, as far as we know. She helps tend to everyone's wounds. Isn't she so nice? Did she patch you up?"

"No, she was not in when we stopped by her place. You two are the first ones we've talked too since arriving." Rajura answered.

“Can you tell us anything about this land, my ladies?” Seiji asked in his politest voice. “We’re quite puzzles in how we came to this place and where exactly we are.”

Saori fussed with her hair, clearly embarrassed. "Oh, you're all so polite. Thank you!" She pulled at the hem of her black dress. "You know, it's not often we get to see humans, and by far, you've been the nicest lot. You should hear what the other men have said..."

Kasane made her way over to the group, more to annoy her sister than anything else. "Did you fall over? That's what happened to us. Everything got dark very suddenly, and we woke up here. Well, not here in this building, but in the human city. We've never seen anything like this before."

Saori nodded. "Mmm, we woke up here, and have been keeping a calendar ever since. There are no seasons, and clocks don't work, but we estimate by the number of times we've slept."

"About 300 or so years, we think. Anyway, I've heard others call the city something, but I can't pronounce it. Sah-something. I just call it the city."

"So, there are other humans about," Rajura murmured, more to himself than to anyone in particular. The illusionist had planned on using subtlety to get the answers he sought, but if the Troopers were going to throw caution to the wind, there was no sense in being outright coy. "Yes, that sounds about right. Only we woke up in the same spot we blacked out in. I don't suppose you've had contact with those who live outside this town, in other cities? If this...creature of metal has been spotted elsewhere?"

Kasane tilted her head, thinking. “Sometimes we’d get customers from out of town. There’s a train that runs from here to somewhere else, but we’ve never been there.”

“Hobart being somewhere else? Honestly, I hadn’t thought to ask them. Usually, we’re so busy making sales and taking commissions. We make everything you see here in the store ourselves. All 100% spider silk.” Saori beamed with pride.

Rajura offered her a charming smile. "I'd love to peruse your wares, but being that we're strangers in an unfamiliar place, I fear we may have little in the way of payment. What do you use for currency here?"

Saori happily trots to the cash register, much to Kasane’s dismay. The jorogumo returns with a single coin - a golden center with a ring of silver around the outside. Geometric, archaic patterns line the currency. “These!”

Not wanting to cause a fuss by handling money that didn't belong to him, Rajura simply examined it from a respectful distance, blinking in surprise. "Pesos? How did- Nevermind. We definitely don't have that type of currency amongst us." He looks pointedly at the Troopers gathered inside the store with a brow raised. "Or, so I would assume that to be the logical answer, but this place has proved me wrong before."

Shuu shrugged. "I'm flat unless you all take Mastercard."

Touma thought a moment before pulling out a 100 yen piece, "We have this currency. I don't suppose it's worth anything here?" He held it out for the sisters to see.

Saori took the peso back to the register while Kasane regarded the yen coin. “Unfortunately, no. The economy was already well-established by the time we arrived, so it was easier just to conform if you know what I mean.”

“If you’re looking for something specific, can I interest you in some work?” Saori asked with interest.

"What kind of work?" Rajura asked, cautiously.

“We’d certainly be open to hearing about it,” Seiji said, too. “Perhaps you could share a bit more about this world first? So we have a better understanding of it. Does this world have a name? A leader or factions we should know about? And that coin... In our world, it’s from a land very far from our own.”

Touma put the money back in his pocket. "And you said something about other humans?"

“Leaders? Hmm, probably the Alux, but we don’t see much of them anymore.” Kasane mused, offering more tea if the group was interested. “We made some costumes for them a long time ago, but we only get scarce orders since.”

Saori sighed. “That’s what happens when you make garments of the highest quality! They don’t rip and tear as easily. At least our name is synonymous with craftsmanship.”

“Other humans, yes! Terrible folk, no offense intended. They wore dark green trousers and shirts, with buckets on their heads.”

“They weren’t buckets, Saori-san,” Kasane muttered, exasperatedly.

“Bowls then, dark bowls. I don’t know!” She waved off Kasane off. “But anyway, they didn’t speak Japanese, and they started screaming at us when they entered the shop. They’re the ones that call the awful thing Hobart. I hear they were in the apartment building that got attacked.”

“As for work,” Saori tapped her chin, spider eyes glinting, “we’d love for you to take care of that terrible Oni down the street. Blue hair like yours,” She pointed to Touma, “three horns, drunk and belligerent. You can’t miss him. I’d love for him to either pay for his yukata like everyone else or just be less of a nuisance. Kasane and I can’t go shopping without him accosting us.”

She shook her head and huffed. "Anyway, would you mind introducing yourselves? Rajura-san, he..." She blushed again, terribly infatuated. "...well, I know his name, but not your names. Who are you, and from where did you come?"

"Blue hair like mine," He nodded. Nope, it was unlikely they could miss that or three horns. "Oh, I'm Touma." He gave a small bow. Whatever this place was, it sounded like it was mostly inhabited by creatures like demons or other mythological beings. "It sounds like the humans you've met are soldiers." He looked at the spider sisters then glanced at his friends.

Shin bowed politely, "My apologies, ladies. My name is Mouri Shin."

Seiji also introduces himself, apologizing for not doing so before.

Arching a brow at Rajura's game of deception, Ryo bit his tongue and politely introduced himself and Byakuen.

Rajura gestured towards the deadpanning snake nearby. "This is Naaza, and the two snickering idiots in the back are," he looked back, giving the two a condescending smile. "Shuten-" he pointed at Anubisu. "And Anubisu." Then indicated Shuten. The rest introduced themselves, as well.

Both jorogumo bowed to the group. “It’s very nice to meet you formally! And polite humans, too.” Saori straightened the ruffles of her dress.

Kasane nodded to Touma, agreeing with his assessment. “I thought that too, soldiers, but they were unlike any soldiers I’ve seen. No armor! And I don’t know what language they spoke.”

Shuu plucked up the courage to address Saori directly. "So, this tea has been great. A+. But do you know anywhere where a guy could get a hot meal? Man cannot live on coffee, tea, and granola bar alone." He grumbled. If there were people, even yokai people, living here, there had to be some way the community was getting fed. "If there're people with a kitchen, I could lend them a hand."

“Hot meal? Why, of course!” Saori seemed to light up with excitement. “Kasane-san, why don’t we take them out for dinner? After the Oni problem, of course. Wendy’s place isn’t too far from here!”

“It would be so nice to go for a walk, I think,” Kasane replied.

It was starting to sound like they would need to take care of this pesky blue-haired Oni if they needed much more than a conversation. Alright, Touma bit the hook, what was there to lose at this point? "So this Oni that's bothering you, what does he do exactly? You mentioned he's a drunk, is that the problem or is he one of those guys who's just a default asshole?" If nothing else, maybe they could figure out how to avoid this guy until they had a plan to do whatever they needed to do with him. They just arrived, and they had killed three yokai last night. However, those three attacked them first. This might require some finesse. Killing someone in the middle of the city might not be the ticket home they wanted.

Kasane sighed deeply. "The Oni has broken our doors twice so far--"

"And he stole one of our yukata. It's black with smoke embroidery--" added Saori.

"--and he accosts us every time we go out, throwing bottles or calling us names--"

"--and he broke into the little shop down the street from us, ate everything worth eating and drove the Dokkaebi out--"

"---and now he lives there, drunk and smelly." Kasane finished, fascinated by both Ryo and his tiger companion. Unsure, the jorogumo pondered, then wandered over to one of the shelves. From a basket full of plush toys, she retrieved one that looked somewhat like Byakuen. "Ah, are you one of these? I've never seen a real one before." Byakuen sniffed the toy in interest.

"I'm sure we can help to be your lean collector by roughing up the deadbeat!" Shuu said.

“Not that we’re planning on killing anything,” Seiji added, halting Shuu, “but are there consequences to killing something? You said this land has no ruler, but what kind of rules does this community follow?”

Saori tilted her head. "Well, killing is frowned upon, generally. I mean, normally, we would be eating other creatures here, but that would simply devastate our economy. The Oni might get on my last nerve, but... I don't really want him dead..."

Shuu puffed up. "Aw hell now. Listen. I'd kick my OWN ass for a Frostee right now, but this guy seems like one of those jerks where I'd enjoy doing it for free. You want us to go repossess that yukata and show that guy his own ass?" Shuu didn’t like those who lorded being stronger and more obnoxious over others. Strength was a responsibility! This guy was going to learn what it was like to pick a fight with someone, proverbially, his own size.

"So, he is a default asshole." Touma smiled at Shuu, always the big brother ready to show someone what it meant to be nice to others. He looked at the hosts, "If the yukata isn't covered in alcohol or other… things, do you want it back? We could try to force him into the streets in the buck, might humble him?"

Shuu cackled, smacking Touma on the shoulder. "It's Big Brain Time, I see!"

The jorogumo sisters looked at each other for a moment, pondering. Finally, Kasane decided for the two of them. "Well, if it's not disgusting..."

"He could pay for it, with an apology." Saori huffed. "But if he's just going to be a pain, then--"

"YES." Kasane's eyes glinted evilly.

Anubisu saw some things weren't being said. "The Oni that stole your yukata, does he actually wear it? Does he ever take it off? That would make a big difference in how we approach this."

Kasane nodded. "Yes, the last time I saw him, he was wearing it. It might be hard to clean again if he's soiled it. Hmm."

"And do you know what the inside of the shop looks like where it resides?” Anubisu pressed, needing to get more answers before they committed. “Are there others that live around there that we might disturb? Forgive me, but if we're going to do this, we need to know more about what we're going up against."

"We used to stop by the shop before he took it over," Saori said. "It used to be too small for us to fit in between the aisles, but the dokkaebi were very courteous and brought us the snacks we wanted. They had large cabinets with food in them, and a counter like we have. But what he's done with it since, I don't know. After he had a showdown with Hobart, he boarded up the windows and keeps the door closed, usually."

Rajura raised an eyebrow. "With Hobart? And he survived?"

"That sounds unfortunate," Anubis said non-committal. They would need someone to infiltrate and get the layout of what was going on inside. Either that or allow the Troopers to run headlong into danger without planning. Again.

Kasane started to hum while cleaning the shelves with a cloth. "Yes, somehow. I'm not sure how, but I remember hearing it. It was... pretty horrible. He wasn't so bad before he attacked Hobart. He was still gruff and standoffish, but ever since then? He's been horrible."

"Probably angry at having lost. I'm sure one or two of us can relate to that," Rajura murmured. Then he turned to the others. "Without seeing what this Hobart is capable of with our own eyes, I'd advise against a direct fight if we can avoid it. I'd hate to have to battle someone with that level of ability in our current...predicament."

Shuten nodded, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "As much as he sounds simple witted, an Oni is still an Oni. And they cannot change their horns... as the saying goes. It appears such a loss was not humbling. I would agree with Anubisu. Stealth would be the better part of valor." He said, giving a patient look in the direction of Kongo and Tenku. "If this Hobart creature can embitter even an Oni's pride, I can't say that I would want to cross its path."

Anubisu looked at Shuten mistrustful but refrained from saying anything.

Saori seemed to enjoy the company significantly and pleased that their seating area was finally correctly utilized. “Hmm, perhaps he is angry at being defeated, but he survived! I should think that would be a point of pride, but I’m not an Oni. Still...”

“Even though it’s not very safe to look at Hobart, because it could see you, I’ve caught a glimpse of its backside,” Kasane added, much to her sister’s horror.

”Kasane! You do realize how dangerous that is?!” She squealed. 

“Yes, but it’s when we first arrived! I highly doubt Hobart has changed much since then, aside from the dent the oni gave it.”

"We should probably sneak in there to scope the place out while the others cover the exits," Ryo suggested.

As the fragrant warlord set down an empty teacup, thankful his stomach wasn't gurgling in addition to the flatulence, Naaza piped up. "What's the Oni's name?"

“Ibaraki-Doji. I have better nicknames for him, though,” Kasane muttered. “Ibaruckus-douchebag—“

"It really is a cousin of yours," Anubisu muttered to Shuten nastily.

Shuten closed his eyes and sighed, but gave Anubisu a smile and a slight shrug, choosing to ignore the bite in the other's remark. "They say there is one in every family."

Turning with a glare, Anubisu was ready to give another biting comment but forcibly reminded himself Shuten had been possessed. Huffing, he turned his attention back to the spider women.

Touma leaned over to Kayura and asked in a low voice, "Those two always like this?"

Kayura leaned to Touma and whispered wearily, “Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon...”

Touma gave a nod and looked at the others, "What do you guys think? Shall we help out?" This was probably one of their better chances for money and to get a better lay of this new land.

Shuu nodded. "I'm absolutely in."

Shuten inclined his head gently. "I agree that we should at least go have a conversation with this Oni. Kongo, your eagerness is uplifting. But some conflicts are won simply by never engaging the enemy in arms. Please let's try the least cumbersome option first and, failing that; we let you do what you do best."

Shuu blushed slightly at the gentle chiding. "Yeah, okay." He said, loud enough for others to hear. Only Shin heard him add 'way to sound like my dad.'

Seiji stepped forward, “So, we need to figure out what to do about the Oni problem. We need more information about where it is and what’s going on in the building. Who is willing to do some scouting?”

“Not me,” Shuu said, hands up. “Stealthy is not my forte.” And the rest of the Troopers agreed.

Ryo stepped forward, “I’ll go. I can make it around the woods quietly, and I am a Sanada.”

“Oh, no,” Shin said, “no, no, oh no, bad idea.”

“This is a city, not the woods,” Anubisu stated. “Sound echoes differently, and getting into buildings takes a different type of skill.”

“If you know that,” Naaza suggested. “You and Rajura should go together.” Saori sighed lovingly at the thought of her future husband being a hero while Kasane rolled her eyes.

Rajura shook his head. “I used my armor to hide. It’s not something I can do without it.”

“You can, Anubisu,” Shuten said. “You do have a skill with darkness, you can see in the dark, and can be virtually undetectable when you want –“

“With my armor,” Anubisu cut in.

“And I’ve watched you do it without it. It would behoove us to have you go in first and report back to us what you see.” Shuten implored. 

Anubisu paused, unsure, but unable to disagree. “And, do I get a second in case something goes wrong?”

An uncomfortable few seconds passed before Naaza spoke up, “I’ll follow you.”

He nodded, relieved for the help. Anubisu looked at the spider sisters. “What can you tell me about the shop as you have known it?

“Well,” Kasane said, “It’s just down the street about half a block –“

“And it has a red and blue sign in front with a pile of garbage in front,” Saori cut in. 

“Yes, and it was once a place we could run into to grab some drinks and something easy to eat. The Dokkaebi made such great food!” Kasane said, and Saori agreed.

Anubisu pulled them back on topic, “And how many stories tall is it? What are the surrounding buildings like?”

“Ummm…” The women looked at each other. “One story?” Saori said.

“I don’t know what was in the building on the left, but there was an apartment on the right. Wasn’t there?” Kasane answered.

Sighing, “Never mind, we’ll figure it out.” Anubisu said as he looked to Naaza, “Let’s get this over with. Gather what you need, then we can go.” He went to the front of the store and bent down to tie his hakama so they wouldn’t rustle as he moved. As he affixed a short knife into the folds, he noticed feet approaching.

“Anubisu,” Seiji said, nodding in greeting. “Are you sure Naaza will be a sufficient second? You know his capabilities better than I, of course, but I wanted to ensure you are... comfortable with these decisions.”

Pausing to look up at Seiji, “There’s nothing comfortable about this type of thing, there never was. But, Naaza should be sufficient. If this goes bad, well… it won’t matter if there’s one or all of you.” 

They watched Touma pace around nearby, muttering, “Oh my god, I used to shop in here. This isn’t even the same store, oh my god!” It was apparent he was in his own little world, picking up odds and ends. 

“Thank you, Ko- Seiji,” Anubisu said, sincerely. 

Seiji nodded again, feeling more and more uncertain. What am I doing? He didn’t mind speaking with Anubisu - Sasaki - and appreciated tensions easing between them, but to what purpose, if any, were they driving towards? It was a mystery. “We are alone here,” he said aloud. “And as friendly as the spider women have been, we cannot be certain they will always be our allies.”

Unsure, Anubisu asked, “What do you mean by that? What have you seen?”

Seiji shook his head. “Nothing. I haven’t seen any sign that they are a danger to us. I’m merely wary if the many great unknowns that surround us. I hope Saori and Kasane remain our allies. I just-“ Breaking off, Seiji let out a sound of frustration. “We don’t know what’s going on!”

“No,” Anubisu said, standing up. “And yet we risk our lives. If- When I get back, I would like to continue this,” gesturing between himself and Seiji. “Maybe even test ourselves, sparring, without the need to dominate.”

A slow smile spread across Seiji’s face, his eyes narrowing. “Assuming we can find proper practice swords, I see no reason why we would have to wait until we return home. Sparring with such a skilled opponent can only improve our skills.”

Anubisu smirked, “Then we shall see.”


	10. Chapter 10

Leaving the spider sisters' shop, Anubisu and Naaza made their way west, spotting the shop across the street, just a half-block down like Kasane said. As Anubisu took in the surroundings, he said to Naaza, “Thank you for coming. It’s not… It’s better to have two people when something goes wrong.”

Naaza simply nodded, his head swiveling as he took in the city surroundings. "Agreed. If you were caught and torn to pieces by this oni, we'd not know what happened to you until we investigated ourselves."

Despite how clinical that sounded, it was still a chilling reminder of what was at stake. "Right... So, as long as I do what I'm supposed to, we... I won't need your particular skills."

"That would be ideal for you, I suppose. I wouldn't mind a little more experimentation with these new abilities we've been given," Naaza looks down with his left hand in front of him, palm up. "If things continue like this, I may have to find other means of running tests."

"Um, no," Anubisu looked a little uncomfortable. "Oh, look, we're here." The debris outside the 12-24 looked like garbage and discarded shop equipment, much like the sisters had in their shop. Old bottles, advertisements, and shelving were tossed willy-nilly in a pile outside. Alleys ran on each side of the building to the back but also had debris. 

Anubisu explained how they would get in, “Chances are, it’s got the door guarded or blocked. We’ll go around the back. I doubt the doors are locked… Smart people don’t mess with an oni.” 

Naaza paused as they continued their trek. "Hmm, yes, well, I'd wish you luck in sneaking around a room with an oni in it, but I don't believe in such things."

Glaring at Naaza half-heartedly, they crossed the street. Anubisu quickly climbed over the shelving and other equipment, balancing as easily as if on solid ground. He offered a hand to Naaza only to get a quizzical look as he climbed with slightly less grace.

On the other side, Anubisu pointed to a pile of debris to the side. “Stay there. It will hide you if anything comes out before I do. And be patient. Depending on what’s in there, it could be a while.” Naaza nodded and moved behind the pile. 

Grabbing a loose piece of paper, Anubisu ran it around the crack of the door, checking for tumblers and pins that could indicate it was locked. He didn’t find any. Slowly, he pulled the door, waiting for any unusual resistance or counters that signaled a trap – and was almost disappointed to discover nothing. With a final look at Naaza, he went inside.

It was trashed. Anubisu covered his mouth, forcing back a moment of nausea at the stench inside. Burnt food, booze, and unwashed animal were overpowering. Snoring reached his ears and only one rhythmically breathing entity to his relief.

As he moved out of the backroom, he noticed shelves, cabinets, and chairs piled in a funnel, centering around a figure – the oni – sleeping. In the center, the oni slept on its right side on an old, stained mattress mixed with rags and cloths. Three horns adorned its head, two above the eyes and one in the center, all drawing back like a helmet. Its hair was more vibrant than his own, matching Tenku’s better. And, yes, it was wearing the yukata. It was huge; Anubisu estimated it would be near twice his size and at least two foot taller.

Peering between the racks, Anubisu moved closer in, getting a better layout of the room. The tricky part was avoiding the garbage and crinkly wrappers on the floor. Each step needed to be placed with precision to sidestep old, bright orange food (that rather looked like the waste of a small animal) and broken glass. 

The front window and door had papers and food wrappers plastered all over it, blocked by heavy metal cabinets. It would be nothing for the oni to move, but no one else would break in the front door. The creature probably came and went out the back door, and Anubisu made a note to wonder why it was so essential to guard the front door and not the back.

A red thing scuttled on the oni’s shoulder. It looked like a lizard… just large and bright red. It looked around as if it knew something wasn’t right; Anubisu decided it was time to go. Moving quickly and quietly, he made it to the back door without incident. 

“We go now.” He hissed to Naaza, not waiting for the other to follow. They scrambled over the debris and back across the street. They nervously watched the shop as the bell to the spider sisters’ shop rang out, and they could escape back in. 

Inside, Naaza and Anubisu saw Kayura smile at them as she held a bright yellow toy in Rajura’s purposely patient face. Saori came up behind her, “That, my dear, is a Pikachu!” She said, smiling at them.

Naaza moved off, joining Rajura and Kayura as the rest surrounded Anubisu, firing questions faster than he could answer. Anubisu relayed what he saw to the others, keeping the facts concise, yet detailed. He did add his question about guarding the front door, but not the back. 

Rajura and Shuten looked at each other, “It sounds like he made a depression nest.” Shuten pondered, to which Rajura nodded his agreement. 

Shin piped in, “That’s a good way to put it. He’s drowning his sorrows.”

“You mean like college?” Shuu asked.

Touma nodded, “Yes, but way more deadly. 

“Maybe we should just talk to it then,” Shin suggested. “We could find out what’s going on and help it.”

“That’s a stupid idea,” Anubisu snapped. “The thing is huge. If it doesn’t like what we say, we’re no match for it. Better to slit its throat and end the threat.”

“We’re not supposed to kill it,” Seiji countered. “And I won’t simply kill because it’s convenient, especially someone defenseless, just to get the yukata back.” Seiji saw Rajura sigh.

Shuu leaned in, “I’m not great at talking things out, but maybe if it’s really in a depressive state, it won’t be able to move. And if it does threaten you guys, I can just kick its ass; it’s not a big deal – Who should do the talking?”

“Shuten, your armor is Oni,” Ryo said. “Maybe you can talk with him.” Many of the others looked to Shuten to see his reaction.

“Do you feel up to it?” Touma asked.

Shuten nodded, “I can try.”

“Yes, let’s send him in,” Anubisu sniped. “And if he dies, it’s no big loss.” Shuten glared at Anubisu, who returned it equally. Several of the others sighed or like Touma, facepalmed. 

“I will accompany you, Shuten,” Rajura asserted, shooting a look to dare Anubisu to question him.

Shuten was more gracious, “Thank you, Rajura. Who will join me?”

“I’ll join you as well,” Seiji said. 

“We can stick together,” Ryo suggested. “All as one, we can overpower it, if we need.”

“If we want to talk it down, we need to avoid looking like a gang.” Shuten placated Ryo with a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll stick to smaller groups.”

Shuu rubbed his neck, “I’ll hang back. I’m not exactly the best one for negotiations that don’t involve beating the snot out of someone. But, I’m not going to be far away, you’ll need me if this goes belly-up.”

“I’ll stick with Shuu,” Touma said, looking at Shuu, with a cocked grin, “You need someone with you with a level head.” 

Shuu agreed. "Hey now, man, if you weren't so right, you'd be getting gibbed right here and now," Shuu joked.

Of the rest, they agreed that Shuten and Rajura would be joined by Ryo, Shin, Seiji, and Kayura. 

“The rest of us should spread out, some in the back at the open door, the others in front at a distance. That way, we can cover two fronts when this turns nasty.” Anubisu added. “I should not be part of any of the visible groups. If it catches my scent over the stench of its own filth, it will complicate matters.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Naaza added. “Byakuen and Nasuti can stay with me, and we’ll follow the main group. The rest of you can go around the other side of the building and stay hidden?”

“It would be easiest for me to lead the others in through the back unless that’s how you intend to go in?” Anubisu asked Shuten.

“No,” Shuten disagreed, “We should go in through the front.”

Seiji nodded, “That would be the most respectful.”

“Exactly,” Shuten continued. “That will leave the back open for you since you already know it.” Shuten waved to Anubisu. 

“Then, we are decided?” Rajura asked as everyone seemed to agree. 

Saori came up behind Rajura, “You will be careful, won’t you? I’m, well, so concerned for your well-being.” She blushed. Kasane rolled her eyes again.

“We will take every precaution, My Lady,” Rajura assured her as she blushed a bright red. 

The groups headed out to the store. Naaza, Nasuti, and Byakuen positioned themselves further down the street. Nasuti held her bat tight, steadfastly not hiding behind Naaza or Byakuen. Shuu, Anubisu, and Touma maneuvered their way to the back of the building, only having to help Touma over the debris once.

Rajura placed himself at Shuten’s shoulder, whispering, “Oni are often cantankerous, much like you. They can be disagreeable, prideful, but not that bright.” An image of Shuu suddenly sprung into Rajura’s mind, but he pushed that thought away. “Remember, you are strong, but we no longer have our armors. We are not intruders, so be polite.”

“Don’t worry about me, spider,” Shuten answered before raising his voice. “Ibaraki-doji, we would like to speak with you, please.”

They heard a heavy grunt followed by rustling and grumbling inside. Heavy footsteps made their way to the door, where the sound of metal scraping could only be the heavy metal cabinets Anubisu described being moved. As the door swung open, a massive oni stood in front of them, a good two heads taller than Shuten, looking down. “Who are you,” it grumbled.

“I am Shuten-doji, come to speak to his cousin, Ibaraki-doji,” Shuten answered.

Ibaraki leaned down, smelling Shuten. The rest wondered how he could smell anything with the heavy odor of stale alcohol wafting from his skin and clothes. Shuten unflinchingly met his gaze. “Shuten? Why are you so small?”

“Simply the shape I ended up taking,” Shuten answered. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, cousin.” He said with a small bow.

Ibaraki stared at Shuten with blue eyes surrounded by the black sclera. The spider sisters were right that his hair was like Touma’s, just longer, nearly to his mid-back. It could be nice but looked more like a rat’s nest now. “You got pretty, also,” Ibaraki said.

“Uh, thank you?” Shuten said, “I don’t put much value on worldly and material things, like physical beauty, but we came to speak with you if that was all right.”

Ibaraki looked a little confused, “Small pretty Shuten…” He said, “What, what?”

Gasping, Shin suddenly realized why he was so distracted by the Oni. He was only using his left hand because the right was totally missing. 

Shuten continued, “We heard from the spider sisters that there was a bit of misunderstanding between the two of you. And we came to see what we could do to assist in that understanding and get your side of the story.”

“What problem?”

Shuten continued, “They mentioned the yukata you are wearing is of their craft, but as of the moment, one that hasn’t been rendered payment.”

“What else was I supposed to wear?” Ibaraki looked genuinely confused.

“I understand that,” Shuten answered, “but when someone renders a service, how are they supposed to survive if they aren’t paid for their services?”

“Like we did before: you steal and take whenever you want.”

“While I understand this, I know this is not a healthy way to live. That was not healthy and good for me. I’ve had to grow and change on this journey to find a better way to live with pride.”

Ibaraki bristled when Shuten said ‘pride.’ Shuten continued, “Has something occurred that is making it difficult for you, Ibaraki? As your cousin, I am willing to listen to what you have to say and offer any counsel I can.”

“Come inside, come inside,” Ibaraki answered, looking dejected as he turned back in.

“Is it all right for my companions to come along, as well?”

“Yes,” Ibaraki answered, “you have spider person, I see, and small priestess and fish person. You keep very odd company.” He said with wonder.

Shin whispered to Ryo, "How does he know I'm a fish person?" Ryo shrugged.

“The world is full of all kinds, cousin,” Shuten answered. “The world is full of all kinds…”

Upon entering, Rajura nearly gags at the smell. He put his hand up to cover his mouth but forced it down to not offend their host. He heard Ryo mutter, “Hot pockets?” To which Shin nodded.

The curious red lizard scurried up onto Ibaraki’s shoulder as he kicked bottles and garbage out of his path. Turning to them, he grabbed his empty right sleeve, pulling to make a point, “I lost my pride to that big metal thing!”

Shuten nodded, “I understand it is an amalgamation of flesh and machine?”

“Yes, have you seen it?”

Shuten shook his head, “I have not, but the Juurougumo did describe it to us.”

Ibaraki slumped down on the rotten mattress, “It took my arm from me.”

Walking closer, Shuten said, “I’m sorry to hear that cousin; however, it is not cause to despair completely.”

Ibaraki looked hopeful, “How is that so?”

“In the way of the oni,” Shuten expounded, “you’re taught that there are certain ways to have pride, that you can only be prideful of certain actions, certain ways of being. But, through my journeys and self-reflection, I have learned that there are other ways to live a life you can be proud of.”

“Is that why you keep the fish and spider people with you?”

“In a way, yes, the fish and spider people are ones who in the past I have wronged through my way of being prideful. I have found that in my journey to being a healthier person, in my pride, I was defeated over and over and over because I put pride above everything. And unlike the traditional oni things, when I started taking pride in self-control and self-reflection and making right by those I have wronged, I began living a life I am more proud of than who I was when I thought I was a strong oni.”

Ibaraki looked at Rajura, “Spider person, are you also prideful, proud to follow Shuten?”

Rajura, who looked impressed by the speech, now looked thoughtful. “I didn’t really have a choice in the matter at first, but I am glad to have Shuten-doji at my side now.”

The oni looked to the others, “Are these your followers?”

Shuten shook his head, “I would not say it that way, they are not my followers, in that I tell them what to do. I don’t force them to do what I expect of them. However, I want them to be better as I have become better. It is my goal to be present and be an example of how to be this better oni to show them how they can benefit, as I have benefited from my change.”

“Fish person, do you also follow Shuten willingly?”

“Yes,” Shin answered quietly.

“Why?”

Shin thought for a moment, “We may not have started as companions, but Shuten has proven himself as trustworthy and loyal.

Ibaraki grimaced, “How do I regain my pride, Shuten?”

“You have to start with yourself,” Shuten answered. “You have to start with acknowledgment about how others have seen the things you’ve done and the choices you made. Maybe they felt they would be right for you in the short term, but have they proven to benefit you in the long run? By acknowledging that and growing and trying to make amends with people you have hurt, you will find that you can be proud, even with only one arm or one eye or no legs. In the way you are choosing to live your life and making choices, you can be proud of the decisions you make, and they will only lead you to good things once you reach that level of awareness.

Confused brow softening, Ibaraki patted the lizard on his shoulder, “Shuten has many friends, I only have Aki here. How do I make amends?”

“So, where we should start…” Shuten started, “I understand in your current position, you are not in a place where you can return the yukata, or even pay for it. That would be more of a long-term recompense, I think. An excellent place to start would be to talk to the sisters and ask what you have done that has hurt them, apologize for it, and then begin on the road to having compassion between you and the juurougumo. And that could lead to them being willing to help you when you are in a place of dire straits, like where you are right now. It could make you a valued member of the community. 

“Because even with one arm,” he continued, “you are bold, you are strong, and to others, that is valuable. And if used in service to all of the community, you will not just benefit yourself, you will benefit all, and then you will be able to benefit from the skills and abilities of the other individuals here to support you.”

During the speech, Ibaraki began to look at Shuten as if he ascended to godhood. He looked at the others, then back at Shuten in awe. “Yes, let’s go back to the sisters.”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea,” Shuten said with satisfaction. “I would say, Ibaraki, why don’t you lead the way with your head held high because this is your first step to taking back control of your situation.”

Grumbling, Ibaraki looked at his feet, shuffling, “As an oni, I have never been afraid of anything. So why does this scare me?”

“It is a change; it’s a move away from what oni have been taught is the right, true path. But it is not a healthy path and it is fearful to step into the unknown. If you face it and you continue walking, you are still all the braver for it.”

“If I apologize, will I become small and pretty like you?”

Shuten laughed a bit, “Maybe not right away.”

Tangling his hand in the mess of his hair, Ibaraki said, “I would like to keep my hair, though.”

“I don’t think that will change anytime soon.”

Shuten led the way out, following a step behind Ibaraki-doji, offering his silent support and guidance. Rajura stayed towards the back, unable to keep the incredulous smile off his face. He couldn’t believe that actually worked. By all rights, it shouldn’t have. 

Ibaraki noted the others following them. “Shuten, are these your followers as well?”

Shuten nodded, “Yes, these are also my companions.”

“You have a snake.”

“It takes all kinds, cousin; you will learn this as well,” Shuten said, trying to keep an eye out for the other group.

“Big cat.”

“Yes, he’s quite big and quite ferocious,” Shuten said with pride. 

“I was the only oni here,” Ibaraki started to tell a story. “I wanted to establish I was the strongest here, so when I heard the noise and the thing came down the street and I burst out of my hiding place, I challenged it to a duel. It screamed at me and so I punched it and then it blew my arm off – it breathes fire, Shuten.

Shuten frowned, “That’s not ideal.”

“And it has many faces on the front. And so I could not defeat it myself and I had to hide. It was very uncomfortable.” He finished sadly.

“I can understand.”

Ibaraki touched his missing arm, “My arm only just stopped hurting, but sometimes I can feel as though it is still there.”

“That I have heard is not uncommon in the case of a lost limb,” Shuten said, repeating something Naaza noted years ago.

“Do you think I can get my arm back, Shuten?”

“Sadly, I do not know,” Shuten said honestly. “As much as I have reflected and meditated, all information and all knowledge is not necessary at my disposal at this time.”

“If I am reborn as small as you, will my arm come back?”

Shuten wished he had those answers. “I do not know. Would that I could tell you…”

“That is depressing.”

Rajura felt the need to add a bit of positivity to rapidly disintegrating pleasantries. “If you are looking to find a point of pride in all this, I doubt anyone else has survived an encounter with Hobart.”

Ibaraki looked to Rajura, almost in awe, “No one else has survived?”

Shaking his head, Rajura answered, “As far as I know.” Even if he knew very little, it was still as far as he did know.

But, it was enough to make Ibaraki smile, “Then, I am the strongest!”

When they reached the shop, Rajura rang the bell, hearing the spider women coming, “Oh, you’re back! I’m so happy-” Saori stopped dead when she saw the oni.

Screeching, she started throwing things at him, followed closely by Kasane. Ryo tried to block some of the toys, but did not completely succeed because of their height difference.

“Why?” Ibaraki called out, shielding himself from the toys.

Shuten patted him, blocking his own projectiles, “This could sometimes happen.”

“Ladies,” Rajura called out, dodging his own, “Ladies, calm down!”

Touma ducked until he saw it. A rare Gundam - something collectors dream about – and it was flying through the air, tossed at the oni like garbage. With the grace of a football player saving the winning shot, Touma dove for the model, catching it and hugging it tightly. He hoped they would let him keep it!

Saori stopped mid-throw, and Kasane looked ready to charge in with a Zelda sword. “It’s okay,” Rajura affirmed. “Thanks to… um, my companion,” He remembered he told the spider women the wrong names earlier, “He has convinced Ibaraki that his mannerisms and rudeness is wrong, and he would now like to say something to you.”

Ibaraki slowly picked Gundam parts out of his yukata. He took a deep breath, “I’m sorry.”

Kasane and Saori looked at each other, confused. “Well,” Kasane tried slowly, “it looks like you’ve taken care of the yukata anyway, we’re pleased about that. And, sorry about your arm.”

“Shuten has told me that the best way to regain my pride is to be helpful and to make up for the things I have done. So, I must do something about this yukata.” Ibaraki started taking off the yukata, opening it quicker than anyone thought possible for a one-armed Oni. 

“No! No, it’s okay!” Everyone started yelling and waving. “Keep it on!”

Ibaraki looked confused, “Well, don’t you want it back?”

Saori waved her hand, trying to get him to close it back up, “You know,” she said quickly, “maybe you can be a, uh, product model. Ya, you could go around and tell people that we made this beautiful yukata, and then they could come here and get more, and then that would be really helpful – free advertising – you could work for us. Don’t you think that would be good, Kasane?

Nodding vigorously, Kasane agreed, “As long I don’t have to see naked oni.” She muttered.

Shuten smiled and nodded to Ibaraki when he looked for assistance. “Did I do it?” He asked, leaning down.

“You did it,” Shuten agreed. “I’m proud of you.” To which Ibaraki blushed.

With a swiftness that made several of the Troopers jump, screams; horrible, loud, and painful screams rang out from the streets. Kasane and Saori started panicking, and Ibaraki looked around frantically.

“It’s coming!” Saori cried as Kasane ran to close the door. “We have to hide!” Saori scrambled, pulling out blankets, literally tossing them to the others. To Ibaraki, she said, “You need to get down and get as flat as possible because we need to hide right now!”

“Hobart!” Ibaraki groaned out, covering himself as he curled into a ball on the floor. 

Shuu tucked himself with Shin under one blanket and Ryo grabbed Kayura, curling himself around her. Touma managed under a smaller blanket and tried to stay still, holding onto the Gundam model. 

Rajura tucked under another blanket next to Ibaraki as he noticed Saori and Kasane disappearing upstairs. “Ibaraki, how big is this thing exactly?”

From under the blanket came a soft answer, “Taller than me.”

“A lot taller than you?”

“Me and a half.” 

Shuten said from the other side of Ibaraki under his own blanket, “That’s fine; now, we need to stay quiet.”

The Masho were thankful to be under the blankets – the screams were far too familiar and brought back unpleasant memories. But they were curious. While Anubisu was too close to a wall to see and Ibaraki blocked Rajura and Shuten, Naaza could. He and Ryo had a good view of the tank as it rumbled past, the mammoth treads and towering turret leaking fire. 

And melted into the front of the tank, 13 people screamed. Their bodies looked like they were being absorbed into the tank, being devoured and incorporated inch by inch. Yet, they were alive and aware. On the front corner facing them, a hefty dent was visible, a testament to Ibaraki’s fight, even though it did nothing to slow the tank.

The light swung around, illuminating the shop, scanning over the blankets, models, and clothes. They could almost feel the greedy desire to consume and destroy what it found as it drove slowly past. It was plainly obvious why all the windows were covered and boarded up. Dear gods, what if that thing found us when we were unaware at Nasuti’s? Ryo thought.

No one moved. It felt like hours to some, waiting for it to go past. And then just like that, the screams suddenly stopped, as fast as they started.


	11. Chapter 11

“Is everyone alright?” Saori called out as she and her sister came down. 

Shuu peaked out of the blanket, his hand on Shin’s head, protecting him as he shivered. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, my butthole is tight as shit, but I’m fine!” 

From Shuu’s chest, they heard Shin nearly crying, “They were trying to warn us… ‘Please get out of the way. Please kill us.’ They need help!” Shuu continued to pat Shin’s head until he calmed down.

Folding his blanket up, Rajura looked around at the others, noting they all appeared fine. “How long has that been here?”

Saori shrugged, “Longer than we’ve been here.”

“That’s very unsettling.  
Saori and Kasane started gathering up the spider silk blankets. “Is everyone alright?” Saori asked, taking extra time to make sure Rajura was safe and without injury. When everything seemed fine, she sighed deeply, relieved. 

Kasane declared, “Well… now you’ve seen Hobart. Lovely thing, isn’t it?”

“At least now we’ll be free of it for a few days,” Saori added.

“Yes, that’s right. Hobart doesn’t reappear for a while after it disappears. We don’t know where it goes.”

Ibaraki’s presence made the spiders uncomfortable, but with Rajura and “Anubisu’s” reassurance, they started fixing up their hair. Kasane moved to the back room while Saori addressed the group. “Well, since you’ve… helped with Ibaraki-doji, we’re going to hold up our end of the bargain. Dinner for everyone!” 

Kasane returned with two lace parasols - one daisy yellow and one black. She handed the black one to her sister. “Now remember, Ibaraki-san. You’re now our product model. Everyone in town will want to wear our designs after they see the great Ibaraki-doji proudly wearing them. Right, Saori?”

Saori nodded with enthusiasm. “Oh, yes! Who else would be better? Your shoulders really bring out the design. Very masculine and strong.”

Ibaraki-doji looked to Shuten, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. “...is product model something to be… proud of?”

Shuten pondered. "In this context, while I don't support vanity, it is something that you can do to help. Something that ONLY you can do to help them in this way. It makes your presence valuable. You should be proud that you can help your community in this way."

After reassuring Saori that he was, in fact, just fine, he'd wait until the girls were distracted to speak quietly to some of the group. "Did any of you get a good look at that thing?"

Naaza nodded. He was about to ask why they were whispering, but he thought better of it. "It looked like one of those-," he broke off, not knowing the word for it, "-cannons with wheels that attempted to assault the city when we first invaded. Only with a few adjustments. Like people melded into the front."

Ryo nods, "An army tank."

Seiji frowned, thinking back to his history textbooks. "It looked like something out of World War II," he said. "Specifically, an American tank. It was called the Shermie, or something. This one's been modified, but still. The Americans did bring them to Japan during the war."

"I think it would be a good idea to get more information on Shermie Hobart. We don't know how long we'll be here, and we may as well get familiar with our surroundings." Touma crossed his arms.

Rajura straightened up and approached Saori and Kasane. "Ladies, are you prepared to leave? I believe our little group is more than ready to take you up on your offer of supper."

Saori tittered and blushed, smoothing out her skirts. “Oh! Yes, right this way. Dinner is on us.” 

The spider women walked towards the front entrance to the shop, waited for everyone to vacate, and Saori used several of the intricate ropes of spider silk on the inside of the door to lock everything up on the way out. A CLOSED sign now hung in the window.

”You can keep it. We wouldn’t do much with it anyway.” Kasane whispered in Touma’s ear, referring to the Gundam model he still clutched like a doll.

"Thanks for that," he smiled brightly at Kasane. Touma put the priceless Gundam into the bag he'd been keeping his arrows in.

Saori finished closing up and pulled along a large cardboard box, “Could you be a dear and carry this for us, please?” She asked Shuu. “We have some deliveries to make along the way. It would be so helpful!”

Shuu stumbled a bit at suddenly being addressed but quickly righted himself. "Y-yeah. Sure ladies. Anything you say." He nodded, hefting the box upon his shoulder and balancing it there. "Happy to be of help."

Ibaraki, meanwhile, stood uncomfortably in the middle of the group, recounting his instructions: product model, tell them the sisters made the yukata, tell them where the sisters are...

Opening their lace parasols, the girls started the march westwards down the street. “Rajura, would you... would you walk with me?” Saori asked.

True to form, Rajura stepped up next to Saori with a charming smile, seemingly happy to play the role thrust upon him. "After you, Saori-san."

Saori, sufficiently occupied, nervously blathered to Rajura about anything she could think of - a yukata worthy of him, of some of the sisters’ larger orders, and the layout of the street. 

Seiji found himself briefly locking eyes with Anubisu and raised an eyebrow, sharing amusement but also silently asking if he knew what Rajura was planning to do about Saori. He met Seiji's look, shrugged slightly, and just followed along. 

“So,” Seiji asked Kasane, “where do all the supplies and products come from?” He was curious about some of the things he saw. “Most of the things we see are from our world, which is puzzling given that many only came into existence a few decades ago.”

“The things in the shop were there when we arrived,” Kasane explained, tapping her sister’s hindquarters with her parasol, so she didn’t stride past the restaurant under construction. “When they got there, I do not know. Maybe the dokkaebi know? This is our first stop.”

A small storefront, windows covered like all the others, sat on the opposite side of the street. A sign in Korean was placed on the pair of glass doors - COMING SOON. dokkaebi NETWORK KOREAN BBQ

Moving towards Shuu, Kasane plucked ten small black aprons from the box he was carrying. They looked fit for children.

Kasane walked up to the door with the aprons in her arm and knocked three times. A few moments passed and three small red-skinned creatures emerged. Bipedal, their faces resembled Chinese dragons - colorful and stylized. Ryo would estimate that they were roughly the same size as Jun when they first met.

“Here you are,” Kasane said, handing the aprons to the creatures. “Thank you for patronage!”

One of the dokkaebi handed Kasane a small sack that jingled. “Oh, a tip? Thank you! Ah, if you don’t mind, my friends here might have some questions for you. They’re new in town.”

The dokkaebi, with the most brilliant red skin, looked over the humans traveling with the jorogumo sisters. The oni didn’t seem to startle him and he asked in a heavily accented and imprecise voice, “Yes, questions. No open yet. Soon. Questions?”

These are strange looking creatures, Touma wondered if he'd seen anything like them before? Probably not. He took a step forward and asked, "How long have you guys been here? Do you know how long the Hobart creature has been here?" Part of him wanted to ask if there was a way to leave, to get home, but he wasn't sure this was the time. That might be a question for the spider sisters first.

“How long? Long time, maybe,” he grunted, gesturing for the others to return to the inside of the restaurant with the apron order. “Been here long time. Longer than girls. Wheel Scream Box here before us.”

Seiji rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache starting to set in. “So time isn’t just frozen, it’s twisted about,” he muttered.

Touma nodded, "Wibbly wobbly timey wimey."

Shuu shrugged. "So I guess it'll be hard to know when the Korean BBQ will be open other than Soon. I haven't had Korean BBQ for so long. There weren't any lessons on Korean cuisine at my classes, but that shit is so good."

The dokkaebi nodded vigorously. “No good. Best. Best barbecue. Still renovating. Need sit area.”

Kasane frowned. “Does that mean it’ll be takeout only for us, Ra Jae?”

“No.” The dokkaebi gestures vaguely to the area of the restaurant to the right of the door. “Walk-up window for Bigs.”

“You and the network truly think of everything, don’t you?”

Looking farther into the shop, Anubisu asked, "Who all does come to your restaurant that you would have a section for 'Bigs'?

"My uncle would love you.” Shuu nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Superior restaurant management plan. Accommodation to the broadest group of customers. Who gets you the supplies you need for your very specific recipes? Don't worry; I won't ask for details about the recipes. I respect trade secrets."

“Good business strategy. Cater to bigs, like girls here. Big. No sit at table, need window. Good business strategy.” Ra Jae grunted. Silly humans. To Shuu, he nodded. “Hound, I hear, gives supplies sometimes. Follows chain of distribution through network.”

"Hounds?" To the spider sisters, Anubisu asked, "Who else is around here besides you and the Oni that could be considered big?"

Ra Jae nodded. “Hound. Hounds? Maybe. Never see, only heard of.”

Kasane tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I can see why he’d consider us big. I can’t sit in a chair, after all. My guess? Maybe the naga? They’re more long than big, though.”

He looked to Naaza, seeing the traces of surprise lining his features, "Naga, hounds..." Frustrated by the lack of answers, Anubisu moved to Kasane's side, gently touching her elbow, "You've both been so helpful to us, and we are forever in your debt. I just want to know what we are up against to prepare for that so that we can be ready." He tried sweet-talking her.

Rajura just stared at Anubisu with intense amusement. 

Kasane looked down at Anubisu, somewhat surprised, and patted his hand on her elbow. “Really, you solved a big, um, issue for us, and you didn’t run screaming from us like the other humans. So I think you’re okay.” She winked half of her eyes at him.

Anubisu put his hand over Kasane's, "I'm glad you have trust in us."

Shuu scratched at his head. "Hounds, huh? I guess not the weirdest thing I've heard since I got here. dogs delivering supplies. Did you guys run eateries since you got here? Or have you traveled and seen stuff first?" He said, making jovial small talk, feeling like he was back out shooting the shit with the other cooks behind the hotel on break.

Ra Jae sniffed, looking Shuu up and down while a cacophony of what sounded like carpentry started up in the restaurant behind him. “Some try medicine, but already taken.” The goblin pointed across the street about three stores down to a small building with a white lotus sign. “So try food. Good at food. Many location, move inward. You been see black building?”

Tittering next to Rajura, Saori replied, “That’s our stop after dinner. We want to make sure you have accommodations.”

Shuu wracked his brain for the "black building." Cursing himself for being the shortest guy in the group, he picked up on his toes and looked down one side of the street and then the other. "As in an all-black building, Chef?" He said, slipping into his deferential kitchen habits.

Seiji gave a small bow. “We would appreciate any help you could provide. It sounds as though your network is both wide-ranging and highly skilled. How many different endeavors are you involved in?”

Ra Jae looked at Seiji, tilted his head and sniffed, bowing in return. “Manners. We like you. You not wear same greens. You not with others?”

Seiji paused, thinking through Ra Jae’s words. Then, he remembered Hobart. “Ah, the ones with green clothing? No, I am not with them. These are my friends,” he said, gesturing around himself. “Are the ones clad in green causing you difficulties?”

“Not for long time. Don’t like them. They live,” the goblin pointed down the street, the director from which the group had come, “down there. Stay away. Angry.”

To Kasane, Anubisu added, ”You must know that we'll do anything, anything at all to help you - to protect you. We need to know what we could be facing to do that.” She looked a bit shocked, blushing. 

He looked down the street where Ra Jae had pointed, "Thank you, we'll keep that in mind." Touma took a cue from Seiji and gave a small bow. He'd never been great at manners. But maybe it was best to avoid the other humans for now, at least.

Rajura went from looking amused to annoyed. He grabbed the Darkness Masho's arm, pulling him to the back of the shop, whispering harshly in his ear. "I realize you were raised in a barn, but do try to have some measure of decorum."

“You may be concerned with playing nice, but there are things here that could kill us before we realize they are there. We only have so many options to get information, and I’m willing to do what it takes to see we live through this, even if you aren’t. Or is your honor worth sacrificing all our lives?” Anubisu hissed back.

"Oh for-" He made a 'tch' sound with his tongue. "You shouldn't involve yourself in games you have no experience playing. Do you even realize how offensive you may have come off as just now??"

“Then, get the information we need to live through this.” Anubisu snapped. “Night is falling, and if we aren’t safe, we’ll be at the mercy of whatever is out there. If you haven’t noticed, we haven’t eaten since this morning, and our meal ticket isn’t exactly the most in-tune with the dangers we face. Playing nice isn’t cutting it.” He grabbed Rajura’s sleeve, emphasizing his point, “But, against everything, I still have hope this works. Prove me wrong. Prove to me being honest and respectful won’t just get us killed.” He nearly pleaded. 

Rajura let out a quiet sigh, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you had been listening, our hosts have already generously mentioned they know where we can find accommodations. Even if they hadn't, the subject would have been brought up in dinner conversation, likely by the Troopers. Have a little patience." He quieted his voice, even more, enough that only his fellow warlord would hear. "Besides, whoever said that I was being honest?" He smirked a little before attempting to move away with a much more pleasant expression.

Anubisu pulled him back. "Neither trust nor patience count as one of my virtues. But I do understand the game and will follow you."

He quirked an eyebrow curiously at his words, but let them slide – a conversation for another time. He raised his voice to be heard just over the others chatting, following his words with a light chuckle. "If it isn't too much trouble, perhaps we could look over our food options while we chat? I believe a few of my friends' stomach-growling noises could be heard over in the next town."

Saori squeaked and hurried over to Shuu, ushering him gently forward with the box. “Just one more delivery on the way! It’s right over there!”

“Thank you for your help, Kim Ra Jae.” Kasane curtseyed as best a jorogumo could and went about herding the group. The dokkaebi chef sniffed, turned around and went back into the shop to supervise construction.

Shin had question for Ibaraki and slid next to the oni. “Ibaraki-san, how did you know I was a fish person?” He asked nervously.

Ibaraki shrugged, “You smell like fish.” 

“Fish?” He asked nervously, wondering if his work at the aquatic center left a permanent odor on his body.

He looked confused, “Yes, fish from the sea, salt, and ocean.”

“Oh, I see,” Shin answered as Shuu and Touma were cackling in the background.

Their next stop before food was the small store Ra Jae had pointed to earlier - what looked like a small knick knack store had been converted into something else. It looked like a little hole-in-the-wall type of establishment, probably built so small as to maximize what space might be found between clusters of other buildings. A metal shutter was closed over the window, and a white lotus painted on the sign hanging overhead.

Kasane knocked on the window while Saori fished the order out of the box. “Hello! Delivery!” Saori plopped a large pile of cloth shopping bags on the counter as the metal shutter pulled up.

A white crane stood on the other side, chirping at the jorogumo. Behind it were small shelves packed with various amber bottles. 

Shuu looked at the lotus, the crane, and the bottles of medicines. He shifted the box's weight from hand to hand while looking at the others to see if they "get it" while trying not to giggle his head off at one of his mom's stories in front of him in the flesh. Mainly he looked at Touma and Seiji, bouncing a bit from foot to foot.

Touma raised a brow at Shuu, who whispered excitedly. "He Xiangu!" And he giggled a little bit. "She's literally selling medicine in this fever dream of a place!"

Touma smiled and whispered back, "You have to tell your mom and siblings when we get back. Maybe we can come back later and you can try for a selfie with her? Your brother'll want proof."

Shuu chuckled back. "Oh, I'm going to say hi. After we make this delivery? I'm gonna ask. I'm an idiot, but like, come on. It's like... someone in real life presenting you with a real live version of Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Wind Seeker. But like, more important because this is my family's culture and Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Wind Seeker is a Warcraft meme."

Shin whispers to himself, "It's like we've been spirited away to a hodgepodge of different cultures' mythology."

Naaza swept his gaze over the products being sold and trying to identify anything either by sight alone or by a label. He recognized some of the bottles as those that might contain tinctures, poisons, or medicines, but couldn’t quite tell what might be in them. He frowned but more that he can't identify all the contents. "Where do you get your supplies?" Naaza wasn't looking directly at the crane but assumed she would know he was speaking at her, especially in Mandarin.

The crane chirps in response to Naaza and replies, in kind, “Oh, from all over. Some herbs grow here, and the dokkaebi bring me what I need, usually. What ails you, young man?”

Naaza replied in his usual deadpan, "Nothing unless you count curiosity as an illness. I suppose some people might. I find myself without my usual stock of herbs and tinctures at my disposal; having a place where I can procure more would be useful. Have anything from the Youjakai for sale?"

"Oh! A fellow alchemist! It's a pleasure. I am He Xiangu. I can put in an order for you if there's something you're looking for. Otherwise, I do have a few tinctures at my disposal."

Shuu went up to the counter, cutting into Naaza’s conversation, “So, uh, I’ve heard every story since childhood, big fan, would be okay if I take your picture?” His phone may have no signal, but he could save the picture and show his family later.

The crane cocked her head, “Picture?”

“Yes, a portrait,” Shuu answered, nodding.

“Ah, yes,” He Xiangu nodding back, “that will take a long time.”

“Uh, no,” Shuupulled out his phone. “I have a... a phone, it takes pictures instantly.”

“What is a phone?” the crane asked, tipping her head nearly sideways.

Thinking of Kayura, “Magic pocket rectangle,” He answered, waving the phone.

“What is pocket?”

“Ah,” Shuu took a deep breath, “for holding things.” He showed her his pockets in the holey grey sweatpants. He purposely ignored Touma and Shin’s whispered conversation, trying to figure out what was going on.

Shuu did hear Rajura mutter, “Are you flirting with the bird?”

To Rajura, Shuu said, “No,” (Mandarin), “fuck you,” (English), “No,” (Japanese), “Fuck you,” (English). He started to see a flicker of recognition in Rajura’s eyes that knew what ‘fuck’ meant. Of course, the spider women and some of the other Troopers were horrified. 

But, he was saved from further questioning by He answering his request, “I will take picture with you, but I also want pants, please.” 

“My pants,” He fairly squeaked.

“Not your pants, just pants.”

“Do they have to have pockets?”

He nodded, her long beak making the movement animated, “Yes, pockets, I would like lots of pockets, please.”

Dazed, Shuu looked to Saori and Kasane, “Uh, she wants to place an order for pants with lots of pockets.” He nodded.

Saori smiled wide, “I have an idea for very skinny leggings, so this would be great!”

He touched Shuu with a wing, “Lots of pockets.” She said excitedly.

Shuu agreed and told the sisters, who gave smiling thumbs up. 

He waved Shuu over to the display stand, and Shuu gave his phone to Touma. Grinning like a child with Santa, the picture was entirely adorable. Shuu bowed low, and as formally as he ever bowed, to which the others were sure He would have blushed if they could see under the feathers. 

While the spider women bid their farewells, Naaza bowed to the crane, “Thank you, I will return. I have seen many new and exciting things.”

He waved them off with a wing.

As they walked down the street, Shuu admired the picture. He hears Rajura at his shoulder, “Oh, so now you have a girlfriend, and she’s a bird.”

“I don’t know how many other languages I can tell you to fuck off in,” Shuu answered, putting his phone away. Rajura narrowed his eyes, but before he could reply, Shuu cut in again, “Fuck off doesn’t mean go away – fuck off means fuck off.”

“Shuu!” Shin chastised. 

In front, Kasane said, “Okay, so since that happened, let’s get you guys some food, then.” Many of the others agreed. They headed west, towards a huge black building, a pillar tower in the city.

Around another corner, Saori latched onto Rajura again, pointing at a short building with lots of advertisements around it. “That’s The Mall!”


	12. Chapter 12

Inside the large atrium, they turned to descend down parallel curving stairs. Ryo and Shin smiled as they smelled the delicious scent of food wafting up the stairs. As the girls went down the stairs, Shuu and Touma raced down the non-working escalator, sliding the last quarter flight, even with Shuu balancing the box on his shoulder. 

Seiji stood next to Anubisu at the top of the stairs, “Everything okay?” He asked quietly.

Anubisu nodded, “There’s just a lot here.”

“Yes, it’s why I hate shopping,” Seiji answered, nodding, thinking of the two stories of shops they hopefully wouldn’t be visiting. He saw Naaza push a gaping Shuten toward the stairs, hissing for him to wake up.

“We’re sorry it took so long,” Kasane said, putting her parasol away, “But, we’re here now and we’re going to get some excellent food.” 

“Oh, yes,” Saori agreed, “Wendi’s food is so good!”

At the bottom of the stairs, waved Shuu over, taking the box from him. “Thank you, we have just one more delivery, and it’s right down here, we have to go to see Wendi!” She started walking past rows of vendor shops, each selling different foods. Signs showed pictures of the food or had writing from elegant to barely legible. The Troopers noticed a few modern fast food places staffed by decidedly non-modern creatures. Shuu nearly drooled at the smell of food.

“Do try to keep your saliva in check, Kongo,” Rajura mocked.

“Sir, if you would like,” Shuu snapped back, “you may have my ass as an appetizer.”

Rajura wrinkled his nose, “I’ll pass.”

“Thought so.”

Saori fanned herself at the exchange, “Oh my!”

“Wendi!” Kasane called out. And from the modern Wendy’s fast-food stand, complete with a picture of a burger, fries, and Frosty out front came the most hideous creature they had seen. Tall, gaunt, with a spatula in hand, the creature sported a full deer skull complete with an impressive set of antlers for a head. The beady eyes rolled in the sockets as it screeched its hellos.

Touma perked up, recognizing this, “It’s a wendigo!” He said, choosing not to mention they often were cannibalistic.

“Nope,” Shuu said, “Nope, that’s from Doom. I have protein bars, it’s fine!”

At the same time, Saori and Kasane were so happy to see their friend, who alternated between chirping and screeching at them. They held out the new apron, helping him to put it on over his large rack. Then, pointing back, they said, “These are our new friends, and they are new in town. We promised we’d buy them some food, so can you get something started for us?”

A series of chirps and a big thumbs up was given to them as the wendigo went behind the curtain. They started to hear sizzling and the sounds of metal clanking. 

Shin whispered to the other Troopers, “It’s really a bad idea to eat from a wendigo because they usually eat humans.”

“Alright, fuck off,” Shuu said.

Kasane looked concerned, “What’s going on?”

Shuu shrugged exaggeratedly, “So, I have some dietary restrictions that I maybe should have mentioned before…”

Touma continued, “Uh, you know how they said we’re some of the only humans around here.”

“What are you so concerned about?” Kasane asked.

“I just want reassurance it ain’t people!” Shuu blurted out.

Kasane and Saori laughed, “Why would you eat people?”

“Because humans, to some other non-human things, are nommy,” Shuu said.

They looked to each other before Kasane answered, “As far as I know, Wendi doesn’t cook people.”

Shuu held up his hand, “Okay, then I’m good.”

“I think it’s cow,” Kasane said. “I hope you like it; I just ordered the combo for everyone.” Those that were following the conversation agreed, especially the Masho, who had no idea what a combo or a cow was.

“Alright,” Kasane happily called, “Let’s get some tables together, so we can all sit.” She led them to push several tables together. They could see other creatures watching them, from dokkaebi eating at the other end to the group of pixies all diving into a ramen bowl, some literally.

The spider women gathered metal, western flatware, and cloth napkins. The Masho looked around, assessing, mainly looking for hidden weapons and signs of threats, but couldn’t find anything – not even the stilted movements of a creature concealed. Shin debated on noting to Rajura about a line of spiders moving off to the back, but decided against it.

As they sat down, Seiji sensed something from directly above them. As he looked up, Rajura leaned over, questioning. “There’s something up there, and I’m not sure it’s good,” Seiji answered him.

Rajura looked up and saw little wisps of flames, blue, green, and purple in color, all floating and dancing around. “Those flames?” He asked.

Seiji shook his head, “I think it’s even higher up.”

Fortunately, they were spared by Wendi, bringing over a large cart of food. He was dressed in the new apron, and they finally got a good look at it. Bright pink fills adorned the neon blue apron, with a garish unicorn rearing up the wendigo’s chest. Below, said “Nizhónígo adííyį́į́ł,” which Saori explained meant Enjoy Your Meal.

Saori helped pass out the trays of food, making sure to set the first one down in front of Rajura. In front of him, Kayura picked up her drink, holding it funny before shaking it, then tipping it until she held it upside down, looking up at it. Shuu was chuckling, and Rajura was ready to snap when Shuu leaned over and explained how to eat her drink.

She took a large spoonful and glomped it, enjoying the cold and flavor until it hit. “What is happening to my head!” She squealed, holding her forehead. 

Shuu rubbed her back as Touma leaned forward, “Oh, Kayura, you gotta be careful with those; they’ll give a brain-freeze.”

“Here’s how you fix it,” Shuu said, “you take your thumb and stick it on the top of your mouth – just do it, okay?” 

Kayura squinted through the brain freeze as Rajura growled, “Kongo…”

“It’ll pass,” Touma quickly interjected, “It’ll pass.”

“Trust me, it sounds stupid, and you’ll be fine,” Shuu assured her. 

Wondering why her food hated her, Kayura stuck her thumb in her mouth. It did help, even if seeing Shuten and Naaza smirking and Anubisu with his head buried in his arms on the table trying not to laugh out loud didn’t. 

Shuu thought she was adorable, like his little sister, who sucked her thumb a little too long. “It’s because you let the roof of your mouth get too cold too fast. Just go slower, okay?” He swore he had a similar conversation with his siblings in the past. Kayura nodded.

Shin just shook his head as he picked up his burger and started eating, as did the other Troopers and Shuten. He caught Seiji’s eye and nodded to Rajura, sitting next to him. They both got the problem, “I know, it’s bad manners,” Seiji said, “but it is American. You’re supposed to pick it up and eat it with your fingers.”

Rajura gave Seiji a disbelieving look, so Shin added, “There are no chopsticks. It really is okay.” He purposefully took a bite of his burger. Anubisu shrugged and copied him, followed by Naaza. It took Rajura watching Kayura take a dainty bite and her delight in the flavor for him to do the same.

Shuu waved over to Wendi, “Damn good burger, man!” To which the wendigo screeched a thanks. 

Saori and Kasane watched the various Troopers use different dipping sauces, trying some themselves. Saori even tried putting fries on her burger, just like Ryo. Then, she added buffalo sauce and the wasabi mayo and found it delicious, too. 

“Here, Kayura, try this,” Touma said, dipping his fries in the Frosty. Kayura looked dubious at the dessert. Touma laughed, “It’s okay, the fries cut the cold so you won’t get brain freeze again.” 

“Okay,” She said tentatively, “if you say so.” She took two fries and tried to pick up some of the Frosty using them as chopsticks. The Troopers laughed, and so did Kayura when she realized they were genuinely amused, and not laughing at her. Even Rajura smiled. And, the Frosty was good dipped with fries.

“Oh, my,” Kasane said, wiping tears from her eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun. And since I’ve had Wendy’s!” Saori nodded, daintily dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “So, I guess our next stop is getting you all settled in for the night.” 

“It has been quite the day.” Rajura agreed. He tried the fry in Frosty mix, although he denied it was good.

Touma nodded, still playing with Kayura and her Frosty, “It’s been an interesting 48 hours.” 

“Aside from the whole Hobart problem,” Saori said, “I hope you all have enjoyed it here so far.”

“I mean, it’s not the weirdest place I’ve been to. I’ve been to Brooklyn and New Jersey.” Shuu shrugged. 

“What is a Brooklyn,” Saori asked.

Kasane added, “Tell us about the Jersey.”

“They’re the worst. There are people there, and they are orange.” Shuu told them. Kayura’s eyes were wide with wonder, and the spider women hung on Shuu’s tale. “Yes, but they aren’t that way naturally, they paint themselves like that.”

Nasuti scolded him, “Shuu, don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m not!”

“What’s the difference between New Jersey and Jersey?” Kasane asked.

Shuu shrugged, “Don’t know about that, I’ve only been to New Jersey.”

Kayura nodded sagely, “I imagine New Jersey is an improvement on Old Jersey, and if they are painting themselves orange, I worry about Old Jersey.”

“Old Jersey is probably very dilapidated and not a place for a young woman to travel to,” Rajura warned pointedly. 

Touma cut in, “Jersey is an island between England and France.”

“I don’t even know what an England or France is!” Kayura said. 

“They’re two countries in Europe; one has great food, one has crap food,” Shuu answered.

“Which one’s which?”

“England has the shit food.”

Kayura nodded, “Okay, don’t go to England; it has poop for food, go to France.”

“France has the smelly cheese, so it’s not much better,” Touma countered.

“Excuse me, young lady,” Rajura said quietly, “watch your language. This is not appropriate table talk.” Kayura gave Rajura puppy dog eyes, which didn’t work. He could easily resist her, where Anubisu never could. “You are better than that.”

Kayura huffed and whispered to Shuu, “No, I’m not.” Shuu laughed, earning him a glare from Rajura.

Down the table, Ibaraki pulled on Shuten’s sleeve, “Sorry, I got some stains on the yukata.” He began to take it off, to which everyone started yelling again.

“Saori-san,” Shin asked once everyone settled again, “Does anyone live here?”

“Yes,” she answered simply. “They live upstairs, most of the places are taken. That’s why we’re taking you to the black building instead.”

Seiji asked, “What is the black building?”

“It’s nicer,” Saori answered. “Rajura deserves a better place than a crummy old stall at the mall, so that’s why they are going to the black building. And the ujigami live in the black building.

Shuten leaned into the conversation, “I was wondering about the cars at the hospital.” Nasuti agreed with him, hoping her jeep was okay.

Looking down the row at Shin, Shuu tapped the keys in his pocket, “It’s not like they’ll get very far. Good luck hot wiring the car.”

“Hey, Kasane, Saori,” Touma asked, “Can you tell us more about the humans in green?”

“Oh yes,” Saori looked so pleased to answer. “They dressed all in green, but some had sand-colored clothes. And they didn’t match, which I thought was odd. They had buckets on their heads-“

“They are not buckets,” Kasane cut in.

“Close enough,” Saori continued, “They came to the shop, pulled the cord, and we opened the door, just like we did with you. And they saw us and, you know, I went to greet them, and they just started screaming. And then they pulled out something from their hip, and it shot a hole in our window, and they ran away!”

“Sounds like Americans,” Shuu muttered.

“The thing they had made a loud crack, it nearly deafened us!”

“So, we don’t like them,” Kasane finished.

Touma thought, So, we have magic, myth, and guns to deal with. “Could you tell us how many there were?”

“There were eight of them, but only one pulled the banging thing,” Saori answered, while Kasane nodded. “The dokkaebi noted they took up residence in the apartments to the east. But, Hobart found them, burned the building. I don’t know if any survived.”

“So people just arrive here. Do people just vanish?” Touma asked.

“Well, some have just disappeared, yes,” Saori answered. “Ja Rae said the Hound might have something to do with that, but I’ve not seen a hound, so I have no idea.”

“Maybe we should try to talk to him at some point if we want to get home.”

Shuu agreed with Touma, “Ya, see if he can describe the Hound. On another note, I guess if we’re going to be stuck here for a while, we’re going to need some way of procuring pesos. Cuz, we’re going to need things like food. We’ll crash at the tower for tonight, but we’ll have to buy our own food eventually, toilet paper…”

“What is toilet paper?” Kasane asked.

The Troopers just looked at each other. Shuu prompted, “Uh, Touma?”

Touma swallowed thickly. “Pardon the crude language, ladies, but toilet paper is what you wipe your butt with after you go to the bathroom.

“Ohhh,” they said together. “Butt paper.” “We can make you butt paper.” They said together.

The men looked horrified, but Nasuti and Kayura were giggling. “And on that note,” Nasuti said, “I would like to find the toilet. Would you point me?” And they did. “Kayura, would you care to join me?” She nodded and jumped up. 

“I’m going to find one as well.” Shuu declared. “Goin’ to drop the kids off at the pool.” To which that got odd looks, but he wasn’t going to explain.

“Hold up,” Ryo said, “I’ll follow you.”

They all found the bathrooms to be nice and modern, with squat toilets, private stalls, and clean counters. The girls found beautiful artwork, perfumes and lotions, and a lovely seating area. Nasuti breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar surroundings. 

Kayura touched Nasuti’s arm. “Yagyu-san,” She said hesitantly. “I don’t know what to do here. And… and I need some help with my robes.” 

Nasuti smiled. “Come on; we’ll get you settled.”

In the other bathroom, if the boys would ever notice, they wouldn’t have found any decorations, just a utilitarian bathroom. Shuu rushed into one stall and quickly dropped his pants, sighing in relief. 

Within moments, they both heard a creaking, groaning sound, totally eerie, even for this place. Shuu looked behind him, and from under the door of the stall, a hand reached through the tiny crack between the door and floor. Faster than he thought possible, Shuu hiked his pants back up, flung the door and creature away and ran back to the table. 

Ryo heard all this but didn’t understand what was happening. He was just about done when a hand slid under the door, looking like a decaying corpse was attached. Ryo's fight instincts kicked in and he swiftly kicked the creature away. "That creature clearly didn't understand the two-stall rule," he said as he began exiting.

As he left the bathroom, Shuu returned with Kasane in tow, parasol ready for attack, “Where is it? What did you see?” She asked.

“I’m so sorry, buddy, I left you behind!” Shuu said before he told her about the decaying hand.

“Oh, onryoo,” She nodded.

“But, it was looking at me while I was trying to poop.”

“Oh, that is so perverted!” She said, waving herself. “I can’t go in there because I can’t fit, but if you bring her out, I’ll beat the crap out of her for you.”

“Oh, hell no. I’m not going back in there.” Shuu said, “You okay, buddy?”

Ryo shrugged, “Oh, yes, I grew up with a tiger, it takes more than that to get me. I kicked her for you. I’m worried about Kayura and Nasuti though.”

“Let me call in to them.” Kasane went to the neighboring toilet and called in. A short conversation followed, and Kasane came back with a smile. “They are all right and haven’t seen or heard anything.” She said happily. 

They went back to the table, where Shin asked if they were okay. “NO! Some creepy-ass ghost made, like, creepy-ass gurgling noises while I was trying to-“

Shin slapped a hand over Shuu’s mouth, “Okay, that’s enough.”

“Oh, Saori,” Kasane said, “you will not believe the pervy ghosts in the boy’s bathroom.”

“More onryoo?”

“You knew?” Kasane asked.

“I’ve heard rumors.” She said with a shrug. 

Fortunately, the girls came back just then. “Oh, Rajura-san,” Kayura said happily, “It was so nice! I have some ideas for when we get back home.”

“Nice,” Shuu squealed. “We get pervy-ass ghosts, and she gets nice!”

Kayura walked over to Shuu and whispered, “You can’t say that in front of Rajura, he gets mad.”

“My fuck field is officially barren.”

“What’s a fuck field?” Kayura said with a tilt of her head.

Suddenly embarrassed for teaching his new little sister how to curse, “Um, Touma will tell you.”

Saori put her hand on Shuu’s shoulder, “I’m sorry you are barren, but I hope you can have children in the future.”

Tossing his hands up, “Never mind.”

Nasuti just shook her head as Shuu wandered, “He’ll be fine. Shall we continue on?”

Gathering their garbage, they all took care of it before waving Wendi goodbye. As they exited, Seiji took one last look up, seeing the little wisps dancing and still feeling the undead something above. Choosing to ignore it, he figured if he had to take care of every odd thing he sensed here, his work would never end. He had his shield brothers and new friends to worry about first.

It was starting to darken outside, but the temperature didn’t fall. Nor was there any wind. They continued towards the black building, watching it inch closer with every block they covered.

Touma ran up between Saori and Kasane, interrupting Saori’s prattle about music to Rajura. “So, um, is it different around here at night? Are there any shifty characters we need to watch out for, that kind of thing?”

“Well, there are the keukegen and jiangshi,” Saori said.

“And the umibozu,” Kasane answered.

“Yes, but they are out to sea, so I doubt you’ll see them.”

“True.”

Touma nodded, thanking them before dropping back to the others. “I have no idea what they were.”

“The jiangshi are zombies, man,” Shuu said. “Nothing to really worry. But, the keukegen are bad. They’re little dog-like… things that have long hair and spread disease. Like a zombie Shiz Tzu. One’s easy to handle but they tend to run in packs, hiding out in shadowy places. Kinda reminds me of someone we know.” He said with a grin.

“Be nice,” Shin slapped him while Touma laughed.

Ryo called up to the spider women, “So, what opportunities are there for work so we can be self-sufficient?”

Saori answered back, “The ujigami would know better unless you want to work for us, but they would probably have lots of work.”

“That’s good.”

They noticed street lights and signs started to work, in a strange fashion. Little green, blue, or purple flames worked in place of electricity, but what they were signaling was a mystery, because there was no one around. 

As they rounded the last corner, they entered a large courtyard in the shadow of the enormous black building. The plants were all dead but would have been nice if blooming. The marble façade was beautiful, but the large sign was empty. In its place were several long wooden signs hand-painted in stylized lettering of old-style shops. It was a place of contradictions, beauty and potential warred with death.

“This is a haunted house attraction, I swear,” Touma muttered.

Nasuti shook her head, “I know this building. It used to be a corporate bank building. I’ve been here before.” She said as they went inside.

The spider women took the group to the front counter. She spoke to a little green flame. “We need a place for these people to stay. I know you have rooms, so I’m hoping you’ll help them.” Saori said. Ryo and Touma moved off to see a sign:

Main Floor - Ujigami Housing Project   
2nd Floor - Raiju Research and Acquisition Dept   
3rd Floor - Delphic Oracle 

The descriptions of other floors were removed from the list.

The flame spoke in a wonderfully childish voice before moving from behind the desk, floating through the Troopers. It stopped, “Follow me, please,” and flickered as a form of beckoning.

“Okay,” Saori said. “That’s all settled. The ujigami will take care of you, so we are going to go back to our shop.”

Kasane nodded, “Yes, the rooms here are a little small for us, anyway.”

As Saori moved to bid Rajura farewell, Shuten turned to Ibaraki, “Ibaraki, it would be good for you to escort our hosts back to their shop. I’m sure they would appreciate having a strong protector if anything were to happen.” The girls looked up to see what he would say. 

“And this would bring me pride, Shuten?”

“Yes, it would.”

Saori looked confused, between Shuten and Ibaraki. Then, she looked over at Anubisu, who was on the other side of the group. “Ummm…”

Rajura sucked in a deep breath, realizing the problem. His mind worked fast to come up with an explanation. “This… this was a part of a long-standing joke between the three of us. We often mixed up names, and now it’s a joke. We did not mean to offend you and I don’t know why I would ever have said it. That was rude, and I deeply apologize.” He bowed a little.

“I guess it’s okay. A prank, right?” Saori said while Kasane scowled. 

“Yes, my Lady, but not one on you, for all my misspoken blundering.”

“Alright then, we’ll let you rest up for the night.” They waved and called goodnight to everyone.

They heard Kasane whisper to Saori, “He’s such a jerk!”

“It’s just a little prank; he’s got such a great sense of humor. You gotta love a man who can make you laugh.”

“He’s a lying asshole!”

“Don’t talk about my man that way!” As the door closed, they heard a parasol hit flesh. Rajura winced. 

In the awkward silence, the ujigami flared, “Shall we continue?” It took them upstairs to apartment 202. “You’ll need to clean it up a bit, but you should be comfortable for the night.”


	13. Chapter 13

As they all moved into the room after the ujigami, they found inside a spacious apartment: three bedrooms, a veranda, a living room, a bathroom, and a full kitchen. Everywhere was strewn with debris, looking like a tornado hit the place.

Rajura sighed and muttered, “It’s better than a shack,” only to find himself shocked by the ujigami. 

“You shouldn’t sneer at a free place to sleep safely.”

Shuu looked around at the ransacked apartment. "Wow, Touma... this looks like your bedroom. All that's missing is the mountain of Monster cans that you haven't recycled yet."

"Yeah... you're not wrong." Touma shrugged. Only one room in his place was spotless: The Video Room. A man who streams for a living has to keep up a degree of appearance after all.

Rajura sighed disgruntled, "Where do we even start?"

Shuu stretched and headed towards the kitchen. "I know where my kingdom is. I'll address the mess in the kitchen." 

Shuten nodded at Kongo's initiative and waded through the strewn items on the floor to turn a table right-side up. "I can clean whatever is needed. But, I would appreciate help from someone more familiar with modern living. Some of these items I am unfamiliar with and, without knowing their purpose, I cannot guess at a home for them."

"I speak from experience,” Touma countered, “this mess could take the better part of the night to deep clean. It might be best to scoot things in piles, and we can divide and conquer tomorrow morning." Contrary to belief, he did clean out his place at least once a week. He had to.

“I agree,” Anubisu said, stifling a yawn. “Make enough room to sleep tonight and then decide if we’re going to stay here tomorrow.” 

"I found the coffee machine," Shuu said. "Don't know that there're any pods." He groaned. "Touma and I are gonna have a rough morning." He cleared a few more spots before giving up. "Okay, this is gonna be a tomorrow project if we choose to stay. We can at least walk through here for now."

"Oh, the morning is going to suck with or without coffee," Touma let out a sigh and looked into one of the rooms.

Shuten released a sigh. "We're not going to be using this communal space much tonight. Rajura, Anubisu, Naaza? Would you like to help me at least clear out a sleeping space?" He asked, peering into the room opposite of the one Tenku was.

"Might as well," Anubisu sighed. "Lead away," he said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

Seiji stepped up next to Touma and peered over his shoulder into the room. “I’ll help with this room. Shin and Ryo can help Nasuti and Kayura.”

Ryo nods, "Sounds good to me."

"We should barricade the door, just in case something tries to visit us during the night," Anubisu suggested. "I fear the chances of something unwanted trying to get into us is far more likely than us needed to get out in a hurry." He thought a moment about suggesting another watch, but in this type of place, it was practically useless as their view was limited to nearby and only in one direction. Even if something tried to break in, they would have enough notice.

~~~

After clearing an area in their bedroom, Rajura sat on the floor with an exhausted sigh. He raised his hand to rub at his temple. “What a day,” he thought.

Naaza seemed perfectly content to lie down on the edge of the clean spot, unbothered by the mess in the room. "Hm. Could use a futon, but it’s better than sleeping on concrete or outside."

After clearing out a space catty-corner to the window, Anubisu grabbed a thick blanket, wrapped it around himself and leaned into the corner, closing his eyes to rest.

Shuten, for his part, planned to meditate for a time before sleep. But seeing Anubisu's readiness to sleep and the weary expression on the other two, he decided that this conversation could not wait any longer.

"I'm sorry to stop you from resting, but there is something that I wish to discuss with the three of you. Something that I don't want to discuss in front of the Lady Kayura for reasons that I'm sure will be obvious to you all." Gingerly, he cleared his throat, still marginally uncomfortable from his body being used to indulge the whims of that demon. 

"I am acutely aware that to all of you, I've been back for a while. But please understand that from my perspective, today has been my first time really aware of anything solid since the moment of my death. I don't fully know anything that the demon did while in control of my body. It was like the blackness of sleep with snatches of hazy dreams. It was a nightmare very much like a dream where you cannot remember what it was after the moment you wake. Only that it was a nightmare. I wish to say that I am sorry for anything the demon did to you... but that I also forgive you. All of you. For the things done to me before my death. I understand. And I am sorry that I failed to save you and had to leave that responsibility to the children."

Anubisu opened his eyes when Shuten started to speak. The longer he went on, the more incredulous it seemed. Not wanting to indulge in this right now, he simply shook his head in disbelief and closed his eyes again.

As Rajura looked up from his temple rubbing, Naaza lifted himself into a sitting position, leaning back on the palms of his hands. For a moment, the two passed a look between one another only to shy away in discomfort. Yup, this was happening now. The master of illusion was the one to speak up first, although hesitantly. "We were...stubborn. We didn't want to believe that the past several centuries had been a lie. It was...easier that way than to accept the truth." 

Rajura glanced back at Anubisu, whose eyes were closed. "I don't understand why, but that spirit really had its sights set on him. It was belligerent towards him most of all, like it was taunting him to throw caution to the wind and start a brawl." 

His glance fell to the floor. "I apologize, Shuten; I knew something needed to be done, that your – the spirit's – antagonizing and drinking needed to be addressed, but I kept pushing it aside to focus on our current predicament."

Naaza watched on with his usual deadpan expression, and when Rajura finished, he simply shrugged. "It happened and now it’s over and we can focus on more important things."

Shuten's face tightened at Rajura’s words toward Anubisu specifically. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew why it was targeting you, Anubisu. I understand that to you, hearing that none of the words or actions were my own does not change what you had to experience. But I swear, going forward, all of you will be seen as my brothers-in-arms, not stumbling blocks that I have to overcome. Anubisu, I will try to make right on the way the demon treated you; if it is within my power to do so."

Anubisu opened his eyes at being directly addressed. He bit his tongue on several different replies, more so knowing that being directly confrontational, being as cruel as the demon was to him, would not serve any purpose other than ostracizing him from the group. And in this situation, that was tantamount to suicide. 

But, he knew he had to say something. Optimally, he would have to accept Shuten's apology, most likely offering his own for being unable to separate Shuten from the demon's actions. However, doing that right away would expose it for the lie it will be. 

"What exactly do you think needs to be made, right?" Anubisu asked as neutral as possible.

Shuten nodded softly. "I want us all to have a bridge of trust. I want you to trust that I am loyal to all of you beyond personal gain for myself. If the demon tormented you with exceptional vigor, no amount of platitudes on my part could repair that bridge. I understand that you have been particularly hostile towards me since I awoke. I understand now why. I will endeavor to show you through action that our relationship will not be like that. As I happen to know, you appreciate action over words in general." He tried to give Anubisu a small smile. 

He would not take Anubisu's hostility earlier personally. Shuten may have been the one possessed, but it seemed that Anubisu had been its victim. He was blessed not to have to remember the whole affair and only have to deal with the chemical fall out of overdrinking. Anubisu was coping with the emotional and spiritual consequences... And he was doing so alone.

Naaza snorted quietly, reaching over to grab a blanket and toss it over himself. "Good luck with that." He turned his back towards his present company; if the anti-social one of the group had had any interest in the conversation, it was clear it was gone now. Rajura eyed the two "younger" warlords with a measure of exhaustion, but he stayed quiet as Shuten and Anubisu conversed, merely listening.

“I’ve had those promises made before: Loyalty, trust… ” Anubisu replied. “Now, they are all shattered. How do I know this will be any different?”

"As of this moment, you do not. And that is MY burden to bear. I don't ask that you trust me or forgive. All I ask is that you be open-minded to let me prove that I am better through my actions over time. And then we will both see if, one day, you can forgive."

“One day more…” Anubisu pulled back a glare before things got out of control. “I’ve heard this promise from you twice before now – before you died and after you came back. How long do I wait? Hmm, Shuten?” He took a breath to calm down, to not yell. “I forgave you for leaving us behind and I am truly sorry we didn’t follow you out.” He had to laugh a bit, or else scream. “That came out better the first time I said it… but you don’t remember.”

Now, Anubisu had Rajura's full attention. "What are you suggesting then? That we turn our backs on him, shun him?" He let out a sigh of frustration, making sure not to raise his voice. "We call them children, yet we're more of a mess than they ever were."

“No one ever shuns Shuten-doji. Even after being possessed, the one thing everyone is concerned with is just him.” Anubisu snapped.

The one-eyed Masho leaned one hand on his knee. "We did not exactly have ample opportunity to speak privately after what happened at the hospital. Why did you march off on your own, against your own advice?"

Anubisu pulled the blanket tighter around himself, thinking before answering, “We were all upset about the demon possession. I just needed to calm down.”

"You more than the rest of us, Wolf." Rajura furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I know the two of you were at one another's throats, but I don't believe even that level of hostility would be enough to garner that sort of reaction from you. That means something else happened between you two, something you haven't told us."

He didn’t know how to answer that without handing another weapon away. He decided on a bit of truth and fiction, “I haven’t told you a lot, Spider. And what would it matter what I said happened? I could say anything. Maybe we got drunk and shared our life stories. Maybe we did come to blows, holding knives at each other’s throats. Maybe we shared a kiss and promised each other happily ever after. I could make up anything, and no one would ever know. So, what’s the fucking point?”

He studied the man for a moment before exhaling the breath from his lungs. "Fine. I'm not about to wrench your secrets from you. You wanted us to turn our concerns to you, and now that we have, you turn us away. So, what do you want, Anubisu? Because if your aggression starts endangering others, I won't be respecting your privacy any longer."

It should have felt like a relief, not a punch to the gut to hear Rajura would not pry. Bowing his head, he thought about what he did want, don’t give up on me. He debated telling them, weighing the cost of trusting them against them wielding the truth against him. 

His mind drifted to Seiji. He had something, and yet seemed friendly now. Shuten, the real one, wanted trust and promised loyalty. Glancing up at Shuten, Anubisu knew Shuten should know what the demon did with his body.

"It... The demon... It did do what I just said. And I let it. I don't know what its goal was, why me, but it... this morning, it goaded me into a fight but turned it around and it - it kissed me. It promised loyalty and trust, just like you said now. And, Shuten, you deserve to know what it did to you. And I should have realized something was wrong then, but..."

Shuten shuffled over to place a hand on Anubisu's shoulder and gave it a reaffirming squeeze. "I do not hold you at fault. What the demon did to us both is its own wrong. To say what you should have realized is unfair to yourself. I'm starting to realize this demon was a silver-tongued devil. It wanted you for some purpose. And it was willing to offer you anything it seems to keep you paying attention to it – to convince you that you needed it. I can't imagine that it had a heart capable of love. I feel that its goals seemed to be to use you just as it was using me. You are not at fault. For all our powers, and for all of Naaza's eye-rolling, we are just men. We long to be understood. We long to not be alone. And the demon twisted your longing to its ends. I am so glad that Korin vanquished it before whatever plan it had for you could reach fruition."

As if on cue, Naaza stood up with a blanket in hand and headed out the door, swinging it shut behind him. If it were quiet enough, the three might have even heard a thud from the common area.

Watching Naaza go, Anubisu said to Shuten, "What now? I don't expect anything from you, but I don't know where to go from here."

Rajura watched their resident medic hurry out with some small amusement. "He never was very good at dealing with this sort of thing," he muttered. The smile faded as he allowed himself to lie down, holding his hand up in the air for him to study. 

"It's painfully clear to me just how...vulnerable we've become. Our situation has changed significantly, and yet we have not. We haven't changed in all the centuries we've been alive." He sat up again, this time with a slight groan. "Perhaps there is something to this 'teamwork' the Troopers seem to value so highly."

"We haven't trusted each other, even recently, after Arago," Anubisu muttered.

Shuten stood and breathed out softly. "Until this afternoon? I was dead. I don't think I'm in any position to be part of a pair with anyone until I know better who I'm to be now that I'm here, but Arago is gone. My goals were to stop him and save all of you. Achieved. I need to find something to live for that isn't blind loyalty to another..." he said, finding his blanket and sitting back down to cocoon himself in it. "Which, incidentally, is what I want for all of you as well. I think we should focus on working on improving as a unit, rather than as rivals, and finding our own purposes as individuals. I think you'd likely agree, Rajura?

"Begrudgingly. Very begrudgingly," he said, letting his arms drop to drape over his eyes. "No idea how we're going to do that, but it sounds very much like we're all in the dark on that one."

"Maybe we should bring Naaza back in here," wondered Anubisu. "Kayura would be concerned, and the Troopers would ask questions if they see him sleeping alone out there."

"No, he wouldn't say anythi-" Rajura paused thoughtfully, then groaned. "Yes, he would, if only out of ignorance. Let's bring him in." He led the way out into the living room, where one could easily see the lump under a blanket in the middle of the room.

Sighing, Anubisu got up and followed Rajura out, still wrapped up in the blanket. It was his suggestion, after all, and he could help physically drag Naaza back if he was asleep. Shuten groaned slightly as he extracted himself from his blanket. "All excellent points. Let's go get him." He said, padding behind Anubisu on the way out the door.

Rajura reached him first as he knelt to shake him awake, if he wasn't awake already.

"Naaza, get up and come back to the room. We're done."

"Go. Away. I'm sleeping here," was his muffled reply.

"Don't make a fuss, if the others see you out here, there will be questions, and you'll give them answers we aren't comfortable with," the illusion master hissed.

Anubisu saw the ujigami floating above Naaza's head. "You didn't leave me alone earlier today against the Oni; we're not going to leave you out here alone."

Exasperated, Naaza flung the blanket off him and gave them an annoyed look, shooing the ujigami away like an annoying pest. "Unlike the rest of you, I have no need or desire to be immersed in whatever emotional baggage you have to unpack. I just want. To go. To sleep," he spoke brokenly as though trying to explain something to a child.

Shuten closed his eyes for a moment to find serenity. "We're done. We're all going to sleep. Please come to sleep in the room. Both so we don't have to answer uncomfortable questions to the youths, and so you don't have to sleep in this mess."

"You say that as if I actually care what the state of the room is like," he sighed. "You're not going to leave me be no matter how much I insist, are you?"

"Absolutely not. And if any of the Troopers should come out while we're all standing in a circle like a collection of stones, they are going to ask questions and probably give you an uncomfortable degree of their attention."

The suggestion made Naaza squirm a little uncomfortably. "Alright, alright. I'll move." Grumbling, the green-haired Masho stood up, his blanket draped over one shoulder as he shuffled back into the bedroom.

"Well, that was thankfully easy," Rajura spoke quietly as he followed.

"Sleeping will be good. Hopefully, tomorrow will be warmer." Anubisu complained.

"Agreed," Shuten replied, hiding a yawn behind a hand.

As they were all settling back into their place, Anubisu waved the little green flame away from him, only to have a dance back over his other shoulder. As he leaned against the wall, the ujigami darted under the blanket with him. Quickly, he tried digging out the flame, only to hear a little voice say “you're sad, so I'm hugging you” as it settled near his chest. He calmed down as he realized the ujigami was warm, and not burning, almost comforting like a cat curling upon him. Anubisu settled down, leaving the ujigami, pointedly ignoring the others.

No wordy jabs were forthcoming from Rajura as he tried making himself comfortable, and Naaza, grumpy as he was, seemed content to cover himself up in the blanket, a few stray locks of green hair sneaking out from beneath.

Shuten, for his part, found a relatively clutter free corner to lay back down in. He had a lot to think about. He closed his eyes and worked to slow his breathing. He'd meditate but of course he didn't want to look like he was. To the outside it would seem like he had entered sleep. But with the knowledge he'd just been given earlier, it was going to be a little bit before true sleep could come.

In the Trooper's Bedroom...

After straightening out the bedrooms enough to be habitable and saying good night to Kayura and Nasuti, Shin put a companionable arm around Shuu. "Hey, you doing all right?"

Shuu gulped. "R-right. I'm fine. I said was gonna do it today... didn't I? ... And now it's here. Ho, boy." He squirmed slightly. He knew he needed to address this. Knew he needed to tell the guys so it wasn't just eating him up like a xenomorph from the inside until it burst out in a fountain of fake orangey blood... he never saw that Promethean movie... maybe he should check that out when they got back... FOCUS... "Uuugh. Yeah. I guess I gotta do it now." Smiling at Shin, "All thanks to my damn Accountabili-Buddy!" He said, ruffing the top of Shin's head and feeling a little bit like it was hard to breathe under the facade of the happy, goofy smile. He said he would do it. He told Shin he would. He'd hate to admit out loud that he was afraid to tell everyone still. But in the end, he was way more fearful of Shin being disappointed in him. He'd do it.

Shin ruffed Shuu's hair. "If you're not ready, don't force yourself. I don't want to pressure you. It's not like our current situation isn't stressful as it is."

Gulping air, Shuu shook his head. "No. No. That's all the more reason to just... say it. Give it shape. And move on. We got enough on our plate right now; this is just... a distraction. And the sooner I just rip off the band-aid the sooner... I'll... feel better... right?" He asked, he wanted to convince himself of it but... but god, would he kill for Shin to give him that reassurance. Inside his head, it was shapeless. Like a cloudy thunderstorm raging between the knowledge that all will be fine and the crushing fear of rejection. He was used to being the goofball. Used to being picked on a little bit because he welcomed it... all to make someone else laugh... but real... honest to god rejection... he was still afraid.

Shin smiled, "I'll be right here. Trust me."

Touma leaned back against the wall. He could fall asleep just about anywhere, and trouble was that he wasn't sleepy-tired yet. He was a different kind of tired. The day had been eventful, and there was just too much swirling in his mind. He reached out for his armor, still feeling it faintly there. What do I need to do?

Ryo sighed and sat down in the Troopers’ room to think about the recent past. He was on an adrenaline high ever since he was pulled into this strange world. Living a life of peace after receiving the new armor form Suzunagi was boring. Though he would prefer to see his loved ones safe and sound, Ryo lived for a life of adventure. He needed that sense of purpose to feel complete.

“You look like you’re about to crash,” Seiji quietly commented to Ryo as he sat down beside him. He kept an eye in Touma who, despite being clearly exhausted, had a line of tension between his closed eyes. Seiji didn’t want to disrupt whatever thought process or mental effort Touma was pursuing but also knew he was close to falling asleep sitting up.

Shocked out of his musings, Ryo looks to Seiji. "Huh? Oh...Actually, I'm kind of wired. Seiji, does it make me a bad person that I am kind of enjoying this?"

“Enjoying being thrown into the unknown again? To be faced with a special situation only we can deal with?” Seiji smiled faintly. “No, I don’t think it’s wrong of you. There’s a certain thrill to all this, an excitement we’re missing in our regular lives. The fight against Arago left permanent marks on us all, and it would be wrong to ignore that.”

Ryo nods. "Thanks."

Touma opened his eyes, watching Seiji and Ryo, Seiji asked him, “Do you have it all figured out yet?”

"I wish."

“I’m sure you’ll get there soon enough. What were you thinking?”

"Closest I've come to is we're in a parallel dimension," Touma sat forward. "I was trying to figure out where my armor could be. It's like I can sense it but it's just out of reach."

Seiji nodded, a hint of frustration on his face. “Close enough to still feel and be influenced by it, but far enough away that I can’t feel where it is.”

"Exactly." He groaned, "It's super annoying."

“I’m a little envious of Nasuti because she doesn’t have to deal with this,” Seiji sighed. “She just has to deal with our drama without the benefit of having armor of her own.”

Touma chuckled, "You're not wrong. It's like we just started getting used to life without the armors, then we get them, and all this happens. What the hell?” He shook his head, “I hope we can at least find a way to get her home if nothing else."

“And now we also have to worry about what the ghostly koi fish did to us,” Seiji pressed his hand to his chest, remembering it flying into him. “I think we’re all going to develop new abilities, not just Shin, Rajura, Naaza, and I.”

Touma’s brow furrowed, "Yeah that was really weird. I don't feel a whole lot different." He shrugged, "Time will tell. How have you been doing those things anyways? Do you just think about it and it happens?"

“Intuition, mostly. I feel like my ability to sense spiritual influences has increased to something far beyond what I could do before. Not all the time, but several times a day, at least. The rest just seems to flow from it.”

Touma nodded. "What about you, Ryo? Penny for your thoughts?"

Ryo shrugs. "I don't feel much different either. I do miss Rekka though. I'm curious about these other humans that seem to be around too."

He nodded. "I think we'll need to pay them a visit at some point."

Shuu popped his head in, trying to hide that he was sweating profusely. "Uuuuh... hi guys. Am I... interrupting anything? BecauseifIamIcanliketotallygoawayforabitit'snobig." He kind of prattled out. Punctuating with a gulp.

Startled, Seiji stared for a moment before shaking his head. “No, we’re just talking before trying to sleep. Are you alright?”

Touma tilted his head, curiously, "What's up, Shuu?" He'd usually make a snarky comment but something in how Shuu was acting told him now was not a good time.

A muscle in Shuu's face twitched but he withdrew his face from the room to take a few deep breaths and psyche himself back up. Why the fuck was this so scary? Probably because it was a problem that required him to talk about his feelings rather than being something he could just punch in the face and have done and over with. Squaring up his shoulders he lifted his chin. He was Shuu Rei Faun. He was not a fucking coward. He could fucking do this. Okay. Turning back around he went into the room and sat down on a clean space. 

"So like. Short answer is: No. I'm not alright. And I've not been alright for like... the past three months cuz of something that happened in New York. I've been dealing with something that seems really stupid and petty when faced with what we're going through now but, like, I'm worried that it's kind of posing as a distraction and I kind of want to get it off my chest. Y'know?" He said scratching at the back of his head. Still scary. But he wasn't a coward. He could fucking do this. "So, I caught feelings for someone when I was in New York and I never really got a chance to, like, confess to them how I felt. I hadn't really decided if I WAS going to ever confess how I felt... or if maybe I was just going to bury my feelings under the biggest pile of onion rings and Mountain Dew that I could find you know? But they just kind of... figured me out... and then rejected me... hard... and in front of a lot of people that we knew... and it's been messing with my head a lot since then because... they were..." Say it Rei! Just fucking say it! "A dude."

“That’s awful,” Seiji replied after a moment. “Rude and cruel.”

Touma thought for a moment trying to process what he was just told. Firstly someone had the fucking nerve to tell one of his friends--no. How dare they?! Secondly, what..? "So, so hang on. You fell hard for someone who just so happens to be a fellow bro? And while you're trying to figure out what to do, he calls you out and has the balls to reject you? And you're not sure how to feel about the fact that you fell for a guy?" This was really not what he had expected to hear and he wasn't sure what all he should say or do.

Shuu shrugged. "Like, I deffo didn't know how I was supposed to feel about it while I was trying to sort it out! Like, I know my family is huge and just that statistically there's GOT to be some members who aren't straight, but, like, my family has a big 'that's no one else's business,' kind of mentality about it which just so fucking conveniently means you can't actually know anyone's opinions about it. And then, like, trying to figure out does that mean that I like... like... all guys... do I still like girls... or do I like girls because I think I'm supposed to? But, like, no. I do still think I like girls too. And like--I just wanted to figure that shit out because people knowing that shit about you, in America like that can put an end to friendships that were starting. Or people may treat you mad different and I was already trying to wade through this shit as someone who's Chinese and, like, I didn't need this shit on top of it. And then fuuuuucking DANIEL JUST HAS TO FIGURE IT OUT AND OUT MY ASS IN FRONT OF THREE OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR CLASS! Like, I still haven't figured it out... I don't know how, like, YOU guys feel about it. But if people I barely met rejected me, like, I don't think I'd know what to do if any one of YOU guys did--"

“You haven’t suddenly become a different person or changed in any way,” Seiji said. “You’re still you: The person we fought Arago and became friends with. Discovering more about yourself is something that should be celebrated.”

"I certainly don't think any less of you, man. You're my friend and it would take something greater than an act of the gods to change that."

Ryo nods, "Yeah."

Shuu tugged on a loose thread on his sweatpants. "Thanks guys. Like I said, it seems dumb considering all that we're dealing with right now for me to be all twisted up over this but, like, knowing that you guys and my uncle Chin have my back really makes it easier. And, like, man, rejection hurts. A lot. But, like, it's good to know I got you guys, so it's not like I gotta just wallow in it alone. Now that I said it and it wasn't so bad in the end, I kinda wish I'd said something earlier so Touma couldda sent him a computer virus but eh... hindsight."

"I can do that when we get home." He smirked. "I can do it to your whole class if you want."

“We have plenty of time to plot out an appropriate form of justice.”

Ryo nods. "Yeah! Nobody messes with my friend."

Shin rolls his eyes at Ryo. He gives Shuu a little pat. "I'm proud of you, Rei."


	14. Chapter 14

The Next Morning

Seiji glanced up and gave Anubisu a small nod when the other man appeared, then returned to stretching. He woke first of the Troopers and was sitting on the floor with one leg stretched in front of him and the other folded.

Seeing it was raining, Anubisu nodded back to Seiji and joined him stretching. He missed it yesterday, and sleeping on the floor was less than ideal, making him the first of the Masho awake. Twisting his arms behind himself, he opened a conversation with, "I take it you all had no problems last night?"

“Some surprising conversations, some less surprising, but no real problems,” Seiji replied. “Sometimes, people just need to share something. Did you and the others pass the night undisturbed?”

"Same," Anubisu replied. "The little flame stayed until we fell asleep. It means well." It did a flip in the air, as if happy, before floating off to the Troopers’ room.

Seiji eyed the ujigami with a somewhat wary look. “That’s good to know.” He shifted his gaze to Anubisu, hesitated briefly, then spoke again. “You seem a bit disquieted this morning. Is it our current surroundings or something else?”

"Hmm," He hummed, turning away into another stretch. "We had some conversation last night, too. It was... completely different than we are used to."

“Is that a bad thing?”

"No," He answered. "But it did expose other areas that need to be addressed. I dreamed last night and remembered the first time we clashed swords. I want to apologize for targeting you and using others to hurt you, especially Yagyu-san."

“Thank you,” Seiji replied. He bowed his head briefly in contemplation. “I’m relieved we can now consider each other allies. You are a considerable foe. Arago recognized talent, for all he twisted it to evil.”

"It didn't take much twisting."

“Perhaps. But it did occur, and with time and distance from the mortal world, your connection to it and any feelings or protectiveness were worn away.” Seiji made direct eye contact. “Arago was evil and brilliant. He knew precisely what to do to mold you all into the pawns he wanted. We saw how he resorted to using the Youja Spirits to control you.”

Anubisu knew Seiji was coming at this from his own viewpoint, not knowing how different they were. "And yet, you were able to throw it off. It says something about your spirit that even the seeds of doubt have no ability to root. Rajura and I have discussed it, although I doubt he would admit he was impressed with how Kongo resisted."

“We were warned ahead of time what Arago was and went into the fight expecting such tricks from him.” Seiji folded himself into another stretch, held it, and then relaxed once more before continuing. “There’s also the stupidity of youth to consider. We resisted because we were resisting.”

Anubisu couldn't help but laugh. "If you are done, perhaps you would like to do some unarmed sparring? Quietly. There's just enough room if we're careful. We're going to have to learn about each other if we want to protect each other's backs."

Smiling, Seiji nodded and rose to his feet to help clear a little more space. After pushing a few things out of the way, Anubisu rounded on Seiji, sweeping wide with an arm, aiming to hit and push him out of the way. 

Seiji blocked Anubisu’s strike, pushing it aside as he aimed his next blow at Anubisu’s ribs, intent on cracking the wind out of him. But, Anubisu twisted to the side, tempering the blow. Seiji still felt flesh and bone under his hand. Continuing the rotation, he used the other blocking arm to strike Anubisu’s back.

Only to over-twist as Anubisu dropped to one knee and slapped the back Seiji's leg, mimicking a much harsher strike. As the knee joint folded up, Seiji felt the jolt despite the light shock. As he fell, he pushed away, trying to get some distance and his feet back under him.

Following, Anubisu used Seiji's stumble to deliver a stomp kick to his stomach. Seiji let out an, “Oof,” as it hit his stomach. He flapped a hand at Anubisu, “Gimme a sec,” he wheezed.

Anubisu stepped back, relaxing, "Are you okay?"

“Yeah. Just – need to catch my breath.”

"Are you sure," Anubisu asked. "That was hardly strenuous. But I haven't really sparred with anyone who didn't have armor for several centuries. Did I hurt you?"

Seiji took a deep breath and nodded. “Not at all. I just wasn’t expecting that, and you knocked the air out of me.” Seiji exploded forward, kicking at Anubisu’s side.

Riding off the kick and catching under it, Anubisu drifted back, stretching Seiji out. But, Seiji managed to drag his leg free only to spin again, swinging the other leg and catching Anubisu off guard.

Seiji grinned as Anubisu fell, feeling a flare of primal satisfaction. He followed his prey, aiming to deliver a light punch at the side of Anubisu’s head. 

But, using the momentum from the fall, Anubisu continued to roll backward out of the way, letting Seiji’s punch meet only air.

A click caught their attention and Anubisu looked from Seiji to the now open door to see Shuten shaking his head. He went back inside and closed the door. “Well, that’s not how I expected things to go,” Anubisu muttered, he expected more yelling. 

Seiji looked off to the room the rest of the Troopers, only to have Anubisu hook him behind his knee and take his balance. Twisting on the way down, Seiji laughed and threw himself on Anubisu, dropping his full weight on him. He heard Anubisu grunt in surprise before laughing himself.

Another door opened, and Shin walked out, catching sight of both Anubisu and Seiji laughing on the floor. It took a moment for his mind to figure out that everything was okay if Seiji was laughing. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around precisely what was happening. He opted for saying, “Good morning,” and leaving towards the kitchen to see what he could set up as breakfast.

Seiji replied in kind, “Good morning.” Anubisu nodded, watching warily. Seiji got up, offering a hand to Anubisu. They heard cabinets open and close. “I think Shin can’t find what he’s looking for.” 

Frustrated, Shin walked out of the kitchen and passed the two, grumbling, “I can’t find any coffee. We’ll never get Shuu or Touma up at this rate.” Without waiting for a response, Shin continued to the bathroom, hoping to find water. Unfortunately, the taps did not turn on there either. 

“If the plumbing doesn’t work, how are we going to get fresh water? We can’t keep using up our fuel to get water from the hospital,” Shin muttered while shaking a near-empty water bottle in frustration, watching a random drop of water fly into the tub. “And it’s not like I’m Harry freakin Potter. I can’t just say ‘aguamenti’ and—” Shin’s eyes widen as the tub fills with fresh water. 

Shin slumped to the ground in shock. “First, I can turn into a fish; now I can make water.”

Seiji rushed in, hearing Shin and water flowing, “What’s just happened in there?” Shin looked up with wide eyes, totally stunned by the flow. "So, the plumbing works?" Seiji asked, seeing the full tub.

"No. I said a pseudo-Latin Harry Potter spell and the tub filled. Normalcy or at least answers would be nice."

"I think we've left normalcy behind us," Seiji replied, then frowned. "Water's important, so at least this is useful and obvious, unlike other new abilities we're stumbling across. How do you feel?"

Shin stood, “No worse for wear. Let's go see if the others are awake yet and tell them the good news." 

Seiji eyed the water. "We should bottle as much of this up as we can, then use the rest for bathing and, well." He gestured towards the toilet. "In case it doesn't flush."

Shin nods. "Good point."

Seiji nodded, “That’s right. Let’s get the others.” Shin nodded and followed out. They saw Anubisu petting Byakuen and talking with Kayura and Nasuti. 

“Shin, Seiji,” Nasuti called out, “Good morning. Should we wake everyone up?”

“Can I?” Kayura asked cheerfully.

“Sure,” Nasuti answered a little hesitantly. “I suppose that’s fine.”

Seiji nodded, “Touma will be difficult, but I’m sure you can do it.”

Kayura smiled and headed to the room the Masho slept in. “Morning Shuten-san, are they awake?”

Shuten watched her enter and close the door behind her. “No, but I can take care of that if you would like.”

“Umm…” She looked at Rajura and Naaza, clearly torn.

“If it would be more fun for you, I shall not interfere.”

“It will be more fun, please!” She said quickly before moving to Rajura’s feet. Pulling back the blanket delicately, she ran her fingers over his ankles and feet. 

Rajura squirmed and kicked out, only emerging when he heard her giggles. “Stop, I’m awake.” He said groggily. 

“Okay, thank you!” She said, moving over to Naaza. She poked the balled up form, but it didn’t even twitch. She turned and sat hard on the ball, but only heard a muffled, “You’re not that heavy.”

Kayura looked at Shuten with puppy eyes, to which Shuten replied, “Lady Kayura, I am not going to sit on him, but if you would like assistance, I will.” 

She shook her head and started poking the small tuft of green hair sticking out of the blanket. “You do need to get up.”

“No.”

Rajura sighed as he sat up, “Lady, leave him for now.” 

She smiled and bounced out of the room. As she crossed over, she saw Nasuti, Anubisu, and Seiji still talking. Just as she got to the room, Ryo came out and smiled at her. 

Seiji looked to Anubisu, “I’m surprised you didn’t want to help her.”

Anubisu shook his head. “The last time I woke Rajura up before he was ready, he stabbed me.” Seiji and Nasuti looked at each other but had nothing to say to that. 

Kayura gently poked Touma on the head while saying, “Wake up, please, we should get some breakfast.” But nothing happened. “Well, I guess I’ll have to do this as I do with Rajura.” So, she folded the blanket back and began tickling his feet. He kicked out, mumbling nonsense to Kayura’s ears. Finally, he sat up, looking blearily at her, convinced he was still in a dream.

Satisfied, Kayura went over to Shuu next. “Please, wake up, Kongo-san.” She said as she poked him.

“Chan fa, knock it the fuck off.”

“Hmmm,” Kayura pulled out the Sailor Pluto plushie the sisters gave her and pushed it right in Shuu’s face, smothering him. It took a few moments, but she finally had to duck back as Shuu began thrashing about.

Looking over at the girl, he waved Kayura off, “I’m up, I’m up.”

“Kongo-san we need to get Tenku-san up.” She said too cheerfully. 

Shuu looked over at Touma, who was falling back asleep sitting up. Stretching and standing up, he walked over to Touma, grabbed a foot, and started to drag him outside, calling, “Touma wake up.”

“What? Why do I have to get up?”

“It’s wakey wakey time!” Shuu said as he deposited Touma in front of Byakuen, who took the opportunity to groom the wild blue hair. 

Going over to his pack, Shuu dug through, pulling out a bunch of protein and granola bars. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something. “So, who likes chocolate?”

Rubbing his eye, Rajura answered, “What is chocolate?”

“Okay, so that’s a no for the Masho,” Shuu answered, tossing two of the four chocolate-covered bars to Touma and Ryo. He would keep the last two. “Here, little lady,” He called to Kayura, “Honey granola.” He passed other bars to the rest.

Kayura looked at the vividly covered block, “Ummm,” she said, unsure how to eat it. She could see the other Masho waiting to see what the others did before attempting to eat it themselves. But, watching Shuu tear the crinkly wrapper, she mimicked the action eyeing the others do so as well; although Naaza seemed to have problems before getting it.

“So, I think we should get the cars and bring them here,” Nasuti said. “Especially if this is going to be a base of operations. We should also really clean up. It’s disgusting here.”

Ryo nodded, “We need everything conveniently located and I don’t think your house is strategic. And it’s not that bad here, just cluttered.”

“No, I agree,” Rajura answered. “You have a fine estate, Yagyu-san, but it’s not very defensible and supplies are limited. This place is less than ideal and disgusting, but we have access to resources, concealment, and cover.”

“Alrighty, I need to stretch my legs,” Shuu called out. “I’m going for a car, who’s with me?” 

As soon as Rajura saw that Shuu had volunteered to bring one of their horseless vehicles back to the building, the sly warlord piped up. "I'll go as well. We don't know what else is out there and someone ought to watch your back."

Shuu lifted a brow in his general direction, the muscles in his face somewhat tight. “Huh... why did Rajura want to be alone with me?” The last time he'd had to be utterly alone with Rajura, he'd gotten his mind all twisted around in the wrong direction. He'd have to keep an eye on that. Rajura never did anything if there wasn't some benefit to himself, no matter how roundabout that interest was. "Suuuure." Shuu drawled, resisting the urge to say that Rajura watching his back would make him feel itchy. "You can come if you want. The more, the merrier." He grumbled into his protein bar. The peanuts were good, but he would seriously fight a bear with just his hands if someone offered him a cup of coffee as reward.

The Masho looked pleased, as unsettling as that was. "Excellent. Then we should see if we can find some umbrellas in these quarters." 

With a little luck, it was Touma that managed to find two umbrellas to shield them from the dream dust rain outside. To Shuu, Touma gave him the one with an ugly color combination of pink and a shade Rajura couldn't identify, while Touma gave the one decorated with cartoon puppies to Rajura.

“Just because you found out something new about me yesterday, doesn’t mean I’m going to be gaudy.” Shuu sniped.

”Nah, dude,” Touma laughed, “it’s just one bro to another.”

“At least it’s not plaid,” piped up Ryo.

“Not a lesbian. Close, but not quite,” Shuu answered, watching Rajura watch them with amusement.

Rajura was a little surprised at being handed the less offensive umbrella but only realized why when Tenku and Kongo were talking. “We might have done the same, had it been the other Masho and I. Hmm.” Rajura spoke up, "Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Shuu commented. Pressing the button on the umbrella and letting it burst open. He inspected it for any holes and, once satisfied, followed Rajura out.

Rajura waited until they were outside in the rain and away from prying ears before he spoke, a little hesitant. "I'm sure you've guessed by now that I didn't tag along for the pleasure of your company."

Shuu raised both his eyebrows and, in a clearly sarcastic tone, pressed a hand to his heart. "So, I wasn't to expect a declaration of your undying love?" At the look Rajura gave him, he grinned back.

It wasn't so much a glare that the Masho shot him as it was a look of exasperation. "Yes, Kongo-san, that's precisely what I wanted to do, however did you know? It must be predestined," he spoke with a monotone as he rolled his eye. His usually calm and collected demeanor was showing its cracks. "I wanted to thank you properly for looking out for Lady Kayura. I...appreciate it."

Shuu was a little taken aback by Rajura's sudden sincerity. "Um. It's – uh – no trouble. I've got so many siblings, there's no point in counting. What's one more little sister? Right?" He shrugged. "Besides, the little lady has it harder than us. She didn't get to choose Arago. She was just kidnapped and stuff. She got her family and her childhood taken away. Makes me feel really mad because it's not fair. She's close in age to my sister and I can't help but think it's unfair that she has such big worries."

"Unfair..." He mused over the word for a moment as they walked at a casual pace, the rain softly pitter-pattering on the cheap plastic of the umbrellas. "The world has always been 'unfair,' Kongo-san. But you're right about one thing: she has a heavy duty to carry out now. I've been helping her the best that I can, but the girl can be... rash. She's hungry for new experiences and tends to jump in headfirst without looking for the dangers. It’s been trying. Looking out for her while also keeping the others focused. And when Shuten came back, I thought for sure he would pick up where he left off and train her with what he had learned. But that spirit made sure that wasn't about to happen, so I was left trying to keep him away from influencing her."

Shuu sighed loudly. "I know the world's not fair but, like, if there's something I can do to even out the scales, even just a little bit, I gotta. And, she's gonna act like that, Rajura. It's maybe not appropriate for a princess, but it's totally appropriate for someone her age. It's normal. I know there's nothing really normal about you guys and what you got going on. And I understand you're just trying to prepare her for, like, the realities of her situation, so I can't really blame you guys for why her situation's unfair. I guess you're all just doing your best. But, like, I do get the vibe that she respects you the most out of everyone here. So hey, I guess that means if she's testing you, it's because she respects you."

"Even if she's not of your era? Don't forget, we all come from a time where the culture and expectations were completely different. Back then, at her age, she would be finished with her training and it would be expected that she would perform her duty." His usual snark remained missing from his voice as he looked to Shuu with genuine concern.

Shuu scratched at his chin. "Yeah, but, like, that's presuming that she got to live through twelve or thirteen years in your era giving her experiences and, like, what's it that Shin calls it? A point of reference!" He said, proud that he remembered some of those "emotional maturity" concepts Shin would talk to him about. Getting kind of a darker expression, Shuu continued. "Hey... if I ask you something, will you answer me honestly if I promise not to get mad at you about the answer?"

Rajura raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I wouldn't really care if you got angry at the answer anyway, but go ahead. You have me curious."

Shuu chewed at the inside of his cheek a bit while considering his words. "Does she really remember the stuff that happened to her while under Arago's control well? I mean. All I know is that before Shuten died, he told us that he didn't know about her even being there. And if Arago would tell one of you guys, it'd have been him. So, like, he kept her isolated for a LONG-ASS time and experienced fuck-all knows what. So, like, does she remember that shit?"

"Hmm," he spoke quietly, pausing his steps to think. "Bits and pieces, perhaps. As I understand it, Arago-sa-," he bit his tongue, looking away as he mentally scolded himself. "-Arago did not manipulate her the same way he did with us. He controlled her. I'm not sure what she remembers. She doesn't talk about it much, and I, for one, am not inclined to pry. He didn't see a need to do anything with her except use her for the purpose he planned."

"I don't know if I'm glad to hear that or not." He admitted. "Like, it makes me so pissed off because I can only keep thinking, ‘what if someone did that to either of my sisters?’ It sucks. But by the same thought, if she doesn't really remember, I guess that would free her from the weight of all the bad shit that happened to her. Maybe she acts like she does because she's barely existed in her right mind the past few centuries? Look. I know you gotta get her prepared to be, like, the princess of the spooky realm. So, I won't undermine that if I can. But, not for me, but for her -- let me and Touma give her that, like, bubble of space where she can be treated like a kid?"

Rajura studied Shuu intensely, perhaps uncomfortably so. Then, he broke eye contact and went back to walking down the street. "You and Tenku-san?" He smiled, just a little. "That sounds like a recipe for disaster, Kongo-san."

Serious-Time clearly over, Shuu made a snorting noise that would have done a chainsaw proud. "Now don't get so high and mighty there!" He smiled. "She survived her first car ride and her first Frosty yesterday. I, at no point, broke the child. I have done swimmingly. And Touma... is an only child, BUT I can teach him all I know from my vast fount of fraternal experience!"

The Masho rolled his eye. "I suppose you have done an admirable job with her. But what's this about Tenku- erm...Touma-san? It sounds more like you'd be looking after two children rather than two grown men looking after one child."

Shuu pursed his lips. "Now, Touma's not here to defend himself... I could take the high road and defend him; talk about him being all smart and a good dude or-" and he made a very poignant look at the gaudy umbrella over his head. "YEP. A total fetus. But I've wrangled four younger siblings and the two of them can at least wipe their own asses. I can manage."

"A total fetus..." he rolled the phrase over his tongue like it tasted foreign in his mouth. “You never really used such odd phrases before when we were, ah, at one another's throats. What changed? Something you picked up in this New Jersey place?"

"New York. It's next door. I've lived overseas for a little over a year. I could already speak the language rather well, but living there, I got a hang on the NUANCES. Now I'm kind of finding myself switching words up a lot."

Rajura frowned. "New York? Is it common to have an 'Old' and a 'New' version of cities now?" He paused momentarily. "Like how you've been using that one word, Fuck?"

Shuu pondered it. "In that country, it is. A lot of people moved there from other places and when they got there, they named their NEW home after their old one, I think. But yeah. Fuck is a GREAT WORD. It's got a LOT of uses even if it's vulgar." He grinned.

"You do tend to use it quite often. I suppose it would be too much to hope that Lady Kayura won't pick it up at this point," he sighed, then looked askance at him. "It is a curse, correct? I ascertained its meaning, correct?" He lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Care to go into more detail, Shuu-san?"

Shuu chuckled. Oh boy. Nowhere in his wildest dreams did he think he'd be teaching Rajura how to say fuck appropriately! "So I guess there's the... uh... literal definition. Which is also the most vulgar, so I guess we're starting at the top and working our way down. NOW just clearing the air here, I almost never use it in this context. But I guess you gotta know the literal if you're gonna cuss someone outright." The last few days were weird as shit. "So... uh... fucking is... well... ugh... when two... well okay maybe more than two I can't really judge... people... uh... oh my god I don't know any fucking euphemisms that you would know guuuuuuuuuh... when people have sex, I guess!?"

Rajura had to fight fiercely to keep a straight face. He glanced away if only because watching the young man squirm for a moment longer would give him away, and he was enjoying this far too much. "Fucking is a modern word whose definition is simply to have sex. Please, continue."

Shuu, beet red in the face, gesticulated wildly. "Okay, so that's just, like, the verb, okay? The verb is vulgar! I would not just go up to someone unless you knew them really well, or you are paying them a crapload of money and ask them if they want to fuck, because buddy, that's not gonna end well! But, like then, it could be a noun like, for example, ‘YOU are a SMUG FUCK.’ If that's positive or negative, ‘you will have to figure that the fuck out from my tone of voice. And that's not how it modifies nouns and verbs. But used as a modifier, it means MORE like me saying 'you're fucking pretentious' means you ain't just a little bit pretentious, okay, you're a whole fuck ton."

The Masho couldn't hide his smile. "I have no intention of ever uttering such a sentence, but I believe I understand what you mean. When used in the correct context, it amplifies what you're trying to get across. An example would be, say, "I fucking hate you,' instead of just 'I hate you so much.' You mentioned it could be used in a positive light. Like what?"

Shuu came down a bit from his escalated state. Still blushing, he thought on it. "Like, I would call Touma a 'brilliant fuck' or a 'fucking genius.' Like you can tie it to good things and just as it amplifies bad things, it can amplify good things, I guess."

"Alright, that makes sense. What about as a noun? I remember a phrase you worded yesterday, something about your fuck fields being barren?" His eye caught the familiar gleam of Nasuti's red jeep and the three other cars surrounding it. Had the walk been so quick?

"Oh, the cars. And uh, yeah. When you say, 'I don't give a fuck,' it's that you super don't care. Those are the fucks in your possession. The more you care about something, the more fucks you give about it. But sometimes you give so little fucks you can't even HARVEST A SINGLE ONE." He nodded sagely, producing Shin's keys from his pocket.

Rajura nodded thoughtfully, then looked around briefly for anyone or anything that might be around. There was nothing. "Thank you, Shuu-san. If I think of any more questions regarding the use of the phrase 'fuck,' I will come to you."

Shuu sighed. "I am a Rosetta stone of vulgarity. I will make sure that if the little princess learns any cussing from me that she will always use it correctly." He was in no way going to promise that she would not hear him cuss.

Finally, Rajura allowed himself to laugh, but it was light-hearted and soft. "Strange times. Hopefully, one of us can at least instill in her the necessity of not using inappropriate words in delicate conversations."

Shuu cracked open the driver’s side door. "Someday, she may need to be able to call the nether spirits a pack of fucking fucks. If I remember correctly, most of the stuff from your creepy little home would fit the bill. Get in, and we'll take this one back to the apartment."

"Is there anything from the other carriages we ought to be taking with us?" He offered as he obeyed and got in the front passenger's side.

"Hmmm. I think I got the food and water moved to this one. I don't have Seiji, Nasuti, or Touma's keys. I'll see if anyone forgot to lock up." Shuu tried each of the cars. "Oh... yep. They’re locked. Okay, we're stealing just Shin's stuff for now."

"Stealing?" Rajura seemed genuinely confused. "Is this another turn of phrase that I won't understand unless it’s properly explained?"

Shuu wiggled a bit in the seat. "Shin would not call it stealing... the LAW, however?" He winced, turning the key in the ignition. "I maybe only have a Learner's Permit --issued in another country --but there's no police here, so it's not like I’m gonna get busted."

"What are you talking about? This belongs to Sui- Shin-san," he corrected, a little frustrated at himself. "And it was our task to bring the carriage back to our current residence. What's the problem?"

Shuu held up a hand, "Unbunch your panties, thank you. It was a joke. Haha? If you didn't get it, that's chill bro, but, like, mellow out?" He put the car into gear and pulled it out onto the abandoned road. "So, the humor is that to legally operate one of these machines you have to be given a permit from the government. I know how to operate one, but I haven't proven that to the government, so they haven’t permitted me. It's funny because here there's no consequences. The government won't know."

"You need permission from the government to use one of these? That's absurd, how difficult could it be?" Rajura scoffed dismissively as he lounged back in his seat. "Especially given just how many people operated them. Well, before all this, anyway."

Shuu shrugged. "It's a one-ton death machine. If not operated correctly, people can get killed. They go way faster than a horse and a sudden stop in one of these at high speed can splatter you."

"So can a carriage if it loses its bearings and tips over. Perhaps not splatter, but death is death," he shrugged as well. "There will always be risks when traveling, no matter how advanced the vehicle."

Shuu shrugged. "I guess you got a point. Government nowadays just wants to make it easier to hold people accountable when they fuck up." And with that, they drove the remainder of the way back to the apartment in silence.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 4A

Back at the apartment, Ryo looked at Shin quietly, muttering to himself. “What are you plotting?” The raven-haired teen asked. 

Shin, shocked out of his musing, answered. “I’m just trying to figure out how we can get money for necessities. Water doesn’t seem to be a problem at the moment, but we still need a way to get food, clothing, and possibly even weapons. Shuu’s restaurant experience can maybe get him a job at the food court or with the dokkaebi. That leaves the rest of us to find work as well.”

The little green ujigami hovering nearby says, “You need a job? Get a job at the job board!”

“You have a job board? Where people list work to do, and they pay in pesos?”

The little green flame bobbed, “Oh, yes! Everything is on there! I wanted to catch the spirit cat that had been hanging out down the street, but it disappeared.”

Shin looked at Ryo and Nasuti, “Maybe we should check it out when the others get back.”

She nodded, “That’s a good idea. Maybe, for now, we clean up a little?” 

The little flame flipped happily and floated over to Naaza. “I’m glad you are all staying. I get two green buddies!”

Naaza looked at the ujigami, batting it with a hand, just to watch it play. He shook his head and followed Anubisu and Rajura into the room. 

Watching both Rajura and Kongo-san leave the apartment with the goal of getting back the motorized carriages, the others left behind in the apartments had a job to do: Clean and make the place more habitable.

Kayura wanted to assist in this task rather than hole herself up in another room to meditate. She walked to the door of the room that Masho shared and spied the trio of Anubisu, Shuten, and Naaza. 

Clearing her throat, she stated politely, “Shuten-san, Nasuti has requested your assistance in the other room. Naaza-san, Suiko-san mentioned having some questions for you.”

“Thank you, Lady Kayura,” Shuten answered with a small bow before he left. Naaza just nodded. 

Once the other Masho had departed, Kayura sat herself down in front of a pile of stale clothing and began to fold them into a neat pile, “There, that’s better.” One of the shirts she’d picked up had a strange symbol she did not recognize. “Anubisu-san, I’d like to talk to you. Obviously, there is quite a lot of tension in the air...” Better to let him start, perhaps? Kayura sighed inwardly.

Anubisu put down the box of garbage and sighed. “Of course, she would want to know what's going on as well.” "My Lady, everyone is under a lot of stress lately and many things were not cleared up after, well, after... Having the armor ripped from us has brought back unpleasant memories." He hoped she would think it was just that and leave other matters alone.

Kayura, undeterred, absently folded more unusual shirts (this one was black and had four men in white face paint emblazoned on it) when she lifted her head at Anubisu. 

“That is precisely why I’d like to see them returned to you, post-haste. I’d like to see the oracle. I was meditating on it last night and spoke with Kaosu-sama, albeit very briefly. He sounds very far away.” Another shirt folded, she picked up another, and added, “I’m going to ask the oracle where the Yami Yoroi is.”

"What?" He turned to her. "Why mine specifically?"

There was a twinkle in the priestess’s eye as she smiled at Anubisu. “Tactically-speaking, your skillset is essential to our success. With your armor, you can move silently and cross greater distances with ease far more than any of the rest of us. Your stealth is unmatched. Your performance with scouting the oni and coming back undetected was nothing short of perfection. Ibaraki-doji still doesn’t know you were even there, and his sense of smell seems incredibly keen.”

She ran a hand through her hair and picked up another shirt from the pile. “Besides, I might like you enough to ask about your armor first, Anubisu. Perhaps the more specific the question, the more specific the answer?”

He smirked, flattery felt nice, but not quite answered the question. "Tactically speaking, the Korin Yoroi would be best at fighting what's going on in this world. So far, Seiji has been more successful in keeping us safe." Anubisu countered, thinking of vanishing the demon. "And we all know Rajura is your favorite. Sweet words will get you nowhere with me. So, what is your real reason you want to know about my armor first? Or is it just a lead-in to a bigger problem?"

“What led you to believe Rajura is my favorite?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. “If by favorite, you mean favorite to pester. Then, yes. Absolutely.” She nodded to herself once, perhaps in triumph. “And tactically-speaking, I’m not close to Korin. Not that you and I are close, as much as I hate to say it. I’d understand if you disliked me. We’re very different.”

Another shirt folded. How many had she done without thinking? “I can see why you’d think me deceitful. Rajura was and still partly is the head of my education. But I dislike deceit. Truthfully, I saw you upset, and I hate the sight of you suffering, so I would like to somehow have your armor returned first.” Perhaps that was too emotional for Anubisu’s comfort. She chided herself. She must remember her place. “...my apologies, Anubisu-san. I may not know how to solve the problem, but I shall see to it that I try.”

Anubisu walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, almost shocking himself with how small it felt. "I don't dislike you. You are my empress and I will follow. There are more important things to worry about here than my feelings. If we find one armor, we'll find them all - that is what is important."

She placed a small hand over his. Anubisu felt cold. “...perhaps your feelings are of little consequence to others, but... not to me. Yagyu-san calls the Troopers her boys, and while I cannot call all of you that without offending Rajura-san’s lofty sensibilities and earning a derisive snort from Naaza-san, I still... feel protective of you.” Another sigh. Being honest about one’s feelings was fine for a woman, but Kayura had other duties that were utterly devoid of emotions altogether. 

“I’m going to ask about your armor specifically, whether you like it or not, Anubisu-san. So... so there.” She smiled, almost childishly, and nodded to herself. Patting his hand, she added, “...thank you, Anubisu-san.”

"As you wish, my Lady," Anubisu said, laughing at her petulant tone. "You may be spending too much time with Kongo. We saw how much fun you had at dinner last night, Rajura may very well be traumatized."

“Yes, it was nice to... let go, if even for a few moments. I can tell you’re so very concerned about Rajura-san’s trauma,” she managed between giggles. “Would you like to offer him a handkerchief, or shall I?” Kayura let herself laugh freely for a short while, though she was conscious of the fact that Naaza or Shuten might overhear. “...you’re the closest thing I have to family, I think, though.... perhaps that’s inappropriate, all things considered. Still... what good is an empress that does not value her comrades?”

Anubisu squeezed her shoulder again, "Valuing your comrades is completely appropriate and... It's good to hear." He paused a moment in thought, and tugged up a lock of her hair gently, "Give Rajura one of those ugly shirts, and if you do it in front of Kongo, he might just help you force Rajura into it."

Kayura couldn’t help herself and grinned mischievously up at Anubisu. “Only if you help me pick one out.”

"Oh, no. I need to stay on his good side after last night. You do it yourself." And then he kicked himself mentally for even thinking about last night, let alone mentioning it for Kayura to pick apart.

“Would this suffice for whatever he’d done last night? At least we could say it matches his armor... if you squint and snuff the lanterns.” She set the ugliest pink shirt she’d ever seen aside and asked, “...you didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

"Well," he said, completely distracted by the hideous nature of a shirt, "at least it matches his armor color." It really was the best he could be told about the shirt. "And, no, we didn't fight." He finished too quiet.

Kayura, curious as she was, knew it was rude to pry. “Anubisu-san... for what it’s worth, I’m sorry if he hurt you. His words can be very biting. If there is anything I can do...” There likely wasn’t much she could do about what Rajura said, as it wasn’t her business. Kayura hung her head and picked absently at the ugly shirt’s buttons.

Anubisu knelt down next to her, picking up another ugly shirt. "Words hurt, yes. It is not something I'm unused to. But, the demon is gone now." 

“What did the demon do to you, Anubisu-san?” Kayura had asked out of genuine concern, forgetting that it was really none of her business. The Masho were not her boys in the way the Troopers were to Nasuti, but she cared for them nonetheless.

Freezing, Anubisu felt his chest tighten. And now she'll know how stupid I was, he thought. The silence dragged out as he tried to think of something that would satisfy her.

He must’ve been upset... Kayura placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. “Anubisu-san... I’m very sorry.”

Anubis took her hand, holding it in his own, but he still didn't know what to say, or rather how to say it.

“Anubisu-san,” she murmured, breaking up the silence, “you don’t have to tell me. But if you do, someday, then my ears are ready to listen.”

Sighing with relief, "Thank you." Anubisu looked at her, and she didn't need to know how he was manipulated. "I'll be better." He looked down at her hand in his, remembering how his grandmother held his hand and felt the same familial comfort. "I think I am better." He paused, changing the subject, "You'll be happy to know Seiji and I are on friendlier terms."

Kayura perked up, casting a glance from Anubisu, taking another shirt in an attempt to make him feel more comfortable. “Oh? That is wonderful news. What allowed you two to bridge that gap? Yagyu-san has been very gracious, but I know that’s different.” Her stack of folded shirts was starting to become what one might consider impressive. Keeping her hands busy was helpful. “She said that she’d like to take me shopping when this is all over. I... I think I’d like that.”

Anubisu barked a laugh, "Ironically, the demon. And then Seiji continued to reach out. We sparred this morning and enjoyed it." Looking at shirts, "You will have no respect if you try wearing any of this stuff in the Youjakai. Rajura will most certainly not allow it. He complains about how indecent Nasuti's clothes are."

“I was wondering what that sound was. Truth be told, it was hard to hear much of anything over Byakuen’s rumbling. He’s quite cuddly! I would never have guessed. Very warm, too.” Kayura frowned, furrowing her brow. Of course, Rajura would put a stop to the fun. “Perhaps he is just envious of all the frills women seem to have on their dresses, whereas he cannot have any. I’ll save him the trauma and keep modern clothing to myself~” She punctuated her statement with a mischievous giggle.

"He spent his whole life in courts and formal society. He doesn't know how to have fun."

“All the more reason to save his delicate sensibilities from the frightening idea of frilly modern dresses.”

"All the more reason we should do it anyway, at least until we get back home."

Kayura grinned evilly. “So, if he has a conniption, we should act completely innocent. Angelic, even. I’m sure the jorogumo sisters would have something satisfactory. Unless... have you seen anything here in my size?” Pondering, she looked back at the pile of clothing. By her estimation, these were clothes meant for men - quite a bit bigger than herself.

"Ah, Yagyu-san would be better to talk to on this." He said quickly, before sitting a moment quietly. "Kayura," Anubisu looked at her softly. "Thank you." He pulled her into a quick hug. "I am here for you, minii naidver."

She was surprised, given how hands-off the Masho tended to be both in preference and because of social status, but Kayura appreciated it more than she could put to words. Hugging him back, though briefly, the little priestess smiled brightly. “Thank you, Anubisu-onii-san.” With one more nod to herself, she murmured, “I’ll try to pinch Rajura-san on your behalf.”

"Okay. Let's clean this place before the others come back and make assumptions."

On the other side of the apartment, Shuten knocked on the door to the girl’s room. “Yagyu-san, Kayura said you wanted to see me?”

Nasuti did not know why Shuten had appeared in the doorway. Nasuti was knee-deep in boxes and old office furniture with paperwork sprinkled all over… receipts, bills, and all sorts of other family fodder.

She also had no idea he was possessed. Sure, his drinking was... odd... but she didn't know if that was normal for him. She only knew him during that short time in the war where he'd protected her and Jun while on the hunt for the Jewel of Life. Was drinking something he enjoyed doing or was it the demon that possessed him?

"Shuten..." she murmured, happy to see him. Her brows relaxed. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"I slept... adequately. Would you feel comfortable giving me a moment of your time? Privately?" He asked, stepping over a metal cabinet and motioning to help her in her tasks. He picked up a toppled machine but, upon realizing he didn't know what it was, he looked around to try to guess where he might put it that may make sense.

"Um, sure. I don't think Byakuen or the others will mind." Quietly, she peeked into the living room and saw Byakuen, Naaza and the others moving as much debris as possible to clean the apartment. With as many as they had available, the work shouldn't take much time at all. Nasuti closed the door. "What's on your mind, Shuten?" Returning to the pile of receipts and file folders, she made a mental note that whoever lived here before bought an awful lot of supplements and had plenty of car repairs to pay for. "I... hope you're feeling better. After... all of that."

Shuten cast his eyes down. "We have not known each other long. But I have, in the short time I've known you, come to trust you implicitly. I wish to ask when we had been left alone, at no point had I behaved in a way ... untoward... in regards to you or the Lady Kayura? You are very observant and ... I find myself in need of hearing your observations into my character since I ... returned." He said, taking a wild guess about the machine and putting it up on the top of a bookshelf.

Nasuti chuckled. “That’s an old printer. It’s upside-down, but that doesn’t really matter much, does it? It’ll be removed soon enough anyway.” His question, along with the anxiety behind it, gave her pause. “...you were fine with me, Shuten. A little... aggressive, but just in temperament, not in action. If you had done anything to Kayura, she hasn’t mentioned it.”

The young woman walked up to Shuten, gazing up into his face. Before his exorcism, there was a wildness about his countenance that made her wonder - was that how Shuten usually was? The way she knew him was either homicidal warlord or repentant and wise monk. His return marked a severe lean toward warlord, but now?

Now he more resembled the Shuten she remembered. 

“I’m just...” Sighing, Nasuti turned away and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “...you acted like you didn’t really remember me, and that... that hurt, but I’m relieved to know that wasn’t you talking.”

Shuten nodded. "I hurt a lot of people since my return. I feel like all I have been able to do since returning to awareness is apologize. It is... it is a weight to know that my body was used but to have no memory of what it was used for. I am sorry if my actions gave you cause to worry, Yagyu-san. My fellow Masho and I have discussed some of my behaviors, but they have not observed me closely. I would like to know what I had spent that time doing.” 

“Shuten,” Without thinking, Nasuti reached out to comfort him, touching his arm. “It wasn’t your fault. You have no idea how happy we are to have you back. You don’t know... how much Jun and I cried when you were taken away.”

She let out a deep sigh, hoping the tears wouldn’t come. Now wasn’t the time or the place. “I’m just relieved it’s you again and not that drunk that just wasn’t quite right.”

“It’s not only that... but because ... in terms of my body..." he lowered his voice and leaned in so that Nasuti may hear him, but there would be little risk of being overheard. "I have felt... unwell. Possibly sickly. And if this is a remnant of the possession, I would like to ensure I am not being left open for, possibly, another passenger."

His admission finally sank in and, shocked, her green eyes open in concern. “Sickly? Shuten, why didn’t you say something earlier?! You have to rest. We can’t... I won’t... I won’t risk losing you again. So if I have to wrap you up in a blanket and force-feed you soup, so help me, I will do it.” Crossing her arms and displaying her meanest face, it was all she could do to keep from worrying herself bald. Keeping track of the troopers was work enough, but if the Masho thought themselves too manly to admit illness...

Shuten was somewhat taken aback by her ferocity. How could he have let himself forget she was a force of nature to be reckoned with as any of the troopers had. "I'm not debilitated. But I'm experiencing a mild headache, my stomach is unsettled, and my hands are a little shaky. Yagyu-san, how much did I drink?" he wanted to be sure it was only that. "I don't wish to cause you any more distress. Knowing how much my death did. But if these symptoms are simply the poison working its way out... then I would be much relieved myself."

“Don’t make me burrito you, Oni Mashou Shuten-doji.” Nasuti could feel a nervous laugh bubble up inside herself, but she swallowed it. “Well, you drank most of my cellar, quite frankly. Everyone seemed a little unsettled by it, but... I’m afraid I didn’t know you well enough to ask if that was normal, and then…”

She lifted her arms, gesturing to the mess around them. “—then this happened. But really, you should rest. You’ll worry everyone if you get sick. I’ll get you some water. You’re probably dehydrated, and Shin mentioned he filled the bathtub...”

Shuten gently intercepted, his hand pressing lightly into her shoulder, but making certain not to grab her. "Thank you for your concern for me, Yagyu-san. I will do as you say but, please allow me the dignity to do it quietly... without the notice of the others. I will get something to drink and help with some of the lighter cleanings. If I become concerned or I feel in such a way that my condition is limiting me in some way... well... I'll swallow my pride and ask Naaza for help. But, you know the man, wouldn't you like a chance for it to right itself before you had to face his bedside manner?" He asked, smiling at her and showing her the sense of humor that had returned, as subtle as it was. "The cure would probably be worse than the ailment."

Men. Nasuti fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. Masculine pride superseding medical treatment blah blah blah. The Troopers did the same thing, and it was just as ridiculous.

“Very well, but if you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll have me to answer to, and I will tell Jun. You won’t know shame until you see his face when I tell him you’ve neglected your health.”

His humor seemingly returned and she cracked a smile. She glanced towards the room where the infamous Worst Bedside Manner likely resided. “I know him well enough to know he doesn’t seem to appreciate being social. You poor thing. Use that as motivation, okay?”

Nasuti walked past Shuten, found a chair, righted it, and bade him sit. “You can keep me company while I untangle all these cords.” Shuten made a face at the tangle of chords as he sat, careful to obediently not test Yagyu-san further.

She sat back down at the pile she was working on earlier. “I figured, something useful might be in here, and we could pitch the rest...” A gnarled wad of black and grey cords was lifted so Shuten could see them. “...Shuten? I’m glad you’re back. For real this time.”

At her final statement, he smiled softly at her. "I am very glad to be back. I'm glad it didn't have to end the way it did... I’m glad I’ve gotten to see you again, and I look forward to seeing Jun again when we get out of this place."

“I look forward to getting back home and having Jun spend time with you. He was so happy to hear you’ve come back, even after all this time. And I might be a little selfish in wanting to take you to a real shopping mall - not one inhabited by god-knows-what.”

After a few moments of silence, she’d discovered no less than seven independent HDMI cables. Who needed this many?! “Shuten, what do you make of all this? I’m wondering, if there’s an Oracle, maybe she knows a thing or two. If she can be trusted, that is.”

Shuten hummed slightly, holding out his hand so that she could drape the untangled chords over his arm. "In my experience? Oracles and soothsayers generally are less than honest. But this place has been able to surprise me more than once. I don't think it would ever hurt to hear what someone has to say. But I think anything shared should be looked at critically and with a clear head." He replied. 

As familiar as he was with the Youjakai and all of its mystical magicks, as far as he was aware, telling the future... accurately... was impossible. A person's destiny was malleable. He would not want a fortune teller to make predictions based on the person he was when he was still in service to Arago. His desires, his goals, his drives were all so different now. He always longed for approval. Still longed to give himself in his entirety to a cause or a leader. It was going to take effort and consideration to build his SELF, and he wasn't sure how comfortable he was with the idea of his future being locked onto a path.

Nasuti hummed in agreement, “I wonder about that too. How accurate can someone be when the future is always changing based on our actions? It sounds ridiculous to me, but... information is information. We’ve gotten quite a bit from the sisters, and I hope they continue to be friendly.” 

She didn’t want to think about what might happen if the sisters’ attitude suddenly changed. “This rain, too. It bothers me. I’ve never heard of such a thing. And I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in our world with our absence. I hope nothing decides to take advantage of that.”

Shuten nodded. "I understand your concern. But there isn't very much we can do about it until we do manage to return. Whatever is going on there, we will deal with it when it comes. And if it is a threat, I will lend my aid where I can. You and the troopers can rely on me... Nasuti-San." He said, immediately regretting using her first name. He wanted to be able to speak to her as an equal, as she was the guiding heart of the Troopers, and he desired to assist the Masho and Kayura in very similar ways. 

Another white cord draped over Shuten’s extended arm. So far, she’d only found two power cords, one of which might have plugged into a phone. “...you’re right. There isn’t much we can do about... home... while we’re stuck here. I just... I worry.” She worried about Jun, about the world left unprotected. With all of the armor bearers here (wherever here was), she felt as though the world was left vulnerable.

Nasuti turned to smile at Shuten. His countenance seemed more at ease than it was when he was possessed. That fact alone took a load off her mind. “How have the Masho been holding up? I know it hasn’t been long since we evicted your squatter.”

Shuten mulled it over. "Honestly? Everyone is frustrated with being here. Probably Naaza is the least concerned, but that may come from a place of being able to find something to study wherever he is. But as for myself and the other two, nothing is as expected, and it feels like the younger men of the Troopers are flowing with this unexpectedness better than we are." He shrugged slightly.

Nasuti had to laugh, though not at Shuten. “To be fair, the modern world constantly changes and at a much faster pace. They’re just used to it. Not that I know what the day-to-day was like in the Youjakai, but I imagine things were more... constant.”

And one did not need a single HDMI cable in Arago’s castle. “What was it like, Shuten? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” Finally untangling all the blasted cords, she moved onto old paperwork. Maybe they could use it for tinder? “I’m sure you have a lot of funny stories about your... comrades.”

Shuten chewed on the inside of his cheek and considered. "You're not wrong. Time was odd there. Years could go by in a routine, and I never really noticed just how... homogenous... everything was. Four hundred years there didn't feel nearly as extreme as 400 years in the human realm. 

“But there were moments that come up as memorable... I remember once Anubisu overworked himself, and it culminates in him overseeing the kennels. He was a Masho, he wasn't expected to do lowly work," he grimaced at how pompous he once was. "But he enjoyed the work, so who was to tell him no? Well, he'd been so exhausted apparently that getting back to his chambers would have been too inconvenient, so he just threw himself down on the straw with the hounds and just let them pile upon him. Unfortunately, for him, I was the one who found him in the morning and gave him a horrible scolding. I look back on that time now and wish I had reacted differently. The memory makes me happy now." 

“That... that does sound like something Anubisu would do. Up in the mountains, he had quite a few wolves with him. I can’t imagine he’s much of a cat person.” Nasuti had to hide her laughter in hushed tones lest the Masho in question hear them.

Shuten smiled softly. "Not a lot of cats in the Youjakai now that I think of it... but yes. Or the many times Naaza poisoned himself... in nearly 400 years in the Youjakai, he did it nearly as many times." This, he said with an exasperated sound.

Her eyebrows raised at the idea that the Masho of poison... could poison himself. “Is... is that a thing? Can he poison himself? Oh, dear...”

Shuten nodded sagely. "Of course, Naaza poisoned himself. Often. It's how he built up a resistance. Even outside of armor, it's difficult to poison him because he has spent four centuries attempting to build up tolerance slowly... sometimes it just wasn't as slow as he intended. He would have what he would call 'unintended consequences.' It was probably so he could murder us all one day." He laughed slightly.


	16. Chapter 16

Seiji continued to clean, watching Ryo dig through piles of stuff making as much of a mess as he was picking up. The ujigami danced around his head singing about green buddies and Seiji decided to ask it about its name.

The little flame paused, “I don’t remember; it’s been so long.” Seiji felt his heart clench when it continued, “Maybe you can give me one when you get back?” It asked happily.

He was about to answer when the front door opened, and they heard Shuu, “I’m back, bitc—um, fellow warriors.” Then, much softer, “I’m trying, dude.”

Ryo came out of the room, smiling at Shuu. “Any problems?”

“Naw, it went swimmingly. Right, Rajura?” Shuu smiled back.

Rajura nodded, “Yes, we returned safe with the carriage.”

“Car,” Shuu corrected. “Hatchback to be more specific.” But, Rajura waved him off. “So, shall we get the rest of the cars back here?”

“Ya, but we found out there’s a job board where we can get some money. We’re going to check it out.” Ryo answered as everyone came out to greet the two.

“Good idea,” Shuu answered. “There’s some food and water in my car, so at least we have something to eat. Just need to get it.”

Knowing their next move needed to be to get food and supplies, they decided to go down to the job board. Crossing the courtyard without getting too wet, the group entered the main black building, where they were directed to the job board. On it, they saw:

 **Clear the apartment building** \- keukegen have inhabited an apartment building nearby that we would like to use to house more people as they come in. Could you clear them out? -- Ujigami  
100P 300P

 **Stop the thief!** \- Someone has been raiding our marketplace and stealing our money! They leave behind the goods. Can you stop them? -- Dokkaebi Network  
300P

 **Eastside Security** \- Humans have attacked us! They wear green clothes and have buckets on their heads. Can you make them leave us alone? We just fixed the hole in our window and are afraid they’ll come back. They’re on the east side somewhere. -- Saori & Kasane

 **Herbal Remedies** (entirely in Chinese) - He Xiangu here! I’ve heard the dokkaebi talking about some rare flowers growing around the city, but I haven’t been able to find any. I can’t leave my stall long enough to go exploring - what if someone needs help? The dokkaebi tell me they’re called Teardrop Flowers and are very large blooms in an icy blue. Can you find me some?  
20P per flower

[Entirely unintelligible language]

 **Raiju Research Specimens** (entirely in Hindi) - We want to bring power to the city. If you can find any Raiju and capture them, bring them here to the Raiju Research Lab. We will pay for them. -- Nagendra  
150P per test

 **Hound Tunnels** (entirely in Korean) - We’d like the Hound to bring us goods more often, but many of the tunnels we think it might use are blocked. There’s something that lives in the subway tunnels now. We hear it breathing sometimes. It’s very big. We think the Oni may not even scare it. Find out what it is, and maybe the Network can figure out how to get rid of it. -- dokkaebi Network

 **Hobart Removal** \-- If anyone can get rid of Hobart permanently, we would be very grateful. -- Ujigami

The blue ujigami that seemed to be in charge hovered over to them. “You are all strong, a team. We suggest clearing out the keukegen. It would provide the fastest route to getting money for you all.”

Rajura nodded, “What can you tell us about the problem there?”

“Smart one,” it answered. “The apartment block is just down the street, the building with the scorch marks. We estimate 20-30 of the Keukegan took it over. They hunt in packs, but rarely more than 6-7 at a time. It should not take you long.”

“We’re kind of out of weapons,” Shin said. “Is there a weaponsmith around? Or at least somewhere we can purchase weapons?”

“What the people who lived in the building had before is still there, so maybe you will find weapons after you clean it out. Or visit the shops, the dokkaebi have weapons, if you have the money.” The flame seemed to laugh.

Touma piped in, “Do you know how to defeat the keukegen? Do they have weaknesses?”

“We do not know,” it answered. “We do not leave our places, so we have not even seen them. You came in with the help of the Jorogumo Sisters. Perhaps they know.”

They looked at Rajura, who sighed, as Shuten bowed to the flame, “Thank you for your help. We will ask them.”

“Is there someplace to park our vehicles near the apartments?” Nasuti asked. If they were getting the cars, they should keep them as close as possible.”

“Oh, yes,” the ujigami answered. “Under the apartment building is a vast empty lot where other vehicles lie dead. You can add yours to them.”

After thanking the flame hesitantly, the Troopers and Masho pulled off to the side. Ryo asked everyone, “So, what’s the plan?”

“We should pool our resources first,” Rajura started. “Bring the carriages here, evaluate our food and weapons, and then finish out a job. Once we have some money, we can visit the shops to supplement what is missing.”

“Like clothes,” Shuu butted in, picking at his sweatpants.

“That’s a sound plan,” Shuten complimented, and Touma and Seiji nodded. “We can’t all fit in the carriage, so who goes?”

“If we’re talking to the sisters, I should be there,” Rajura said with a sigh.

Touma continued, “Me, Seiji, Shin, and Nasuti have to go; we have the keys.”

“I’ll come too,” Ryo said, “I don’t want Nasuti driving alone if we get attacked.”

“Someone will have to sit in the back,” Shin pointed out. Touma volunteered.

“Good,” Shuten finished. “The rest of us will stay behind and continue making our living space habitable.” Words and mumbles of agreement were heard around.

They all headed to Shin’s car, then. The ones who were staying behind carried the supplies to the apartment, wishing the others safe return. The others arranged themselves in the car, with Nasuti squeezing between Rajura and Seiji. She blushed, feeling the heat of Rajura’s body through the kimono and the solidness of muscles. The Troopers still had a bit of youth clinging to them, but apparently, the Masho had matured for all they looked the same age.

They agreed to stop at the spider sisters' shop first. Rajura again rang the bell, smoothing his kimono out.

“Oh, hi. Come in, I guess.” A less than enthusiastic Kasane greeted them. She called to Saori and they heard a sewing machine stop.

Saori emerged wearing cute little spectacles. “Rajura! You came back. How did you sleep? Is everyone okay?”

“We slept just fine, thank you.” He answered with a bow and smile.

Saori blushed slightly, “What can we help you with?”

“We were hoping you could answer a few more questions for us if you have a moment?”

“Of course, of course! What questions?”

Touma answered, “Um, so we are looking for information on the keukegen.”

“Well,” Saori said, looking at Kasane, “yes, they hate light.” Now, everyone looks at Seiji. “That’s why they only come out at night. Even the overcast sky every day is too much for them, it seems.”

“So, if we go to this place during the day,” Rajura asked, “we’ll have an advantage over them.”

Touma jumped in, “Did you say that every day is overcast?”

“Sometimes it rains, but sometimes it doesn’t,” Saori said dreamily.

Kasane tilted her head to Touma, “Have you ever seen the big shadow in the sky?”

Touma nodded, “I’ve seen the giant floating mass in the sky.”

Saori looked confused, “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you ever just sat up on the roof?” Kasane asked. “Sometimes you can see a giant shadow floating around and I wonder if it has something to do with the rain.”

“Anyway,” Saori said, shaking her head at Kasane. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Rajura nodded, “Yes, we may be in the market for some weapons if you know who sells those.”

“Probably down in the market. We just have some fun, costume props.” Saori answered, describing how the entrance was just past Ibaraki’s shop.

“I don’t know if those will be helpful in our job hunting,” Rajura said, he noted the spider women were less keen today.

Kasane waved around Cloud’s buster sword made of plastic, still in wrapper, looked at Seiji, the package, and back at Seiji. “There’s a connection,” she said distantly.

Ryo started humming the Cloud song, and Nasuti giggled.

“Saori,” Kasane whispered, “I think this one is on the package.”

“No, the hair’s different.” She whispered back.

“Well,” Rajura answered, “I thank you for the information. We need to return to our friends.”

“Bye, don’t let the door hit your-“ Kasane was cut off by Saori, “You’re welcome to stop by anytime.” She said with a smile as the others filed out. But, then, she ran up to Rajura and hugged his arm, squeaking a quick “bye.”

Rajura felt the weight she added to his sleeve and the coins inside. Although confused, he nodded his thanks before leaving the shop.

“Oh, hey!” Touma cried before the door closed behind them. “One more thing, if we’re in the market later for some clothes, what are your ladies' base price for pants.”

“Oh, pants are easy, we usually don’t get to make regular pants. You know, since you solved the Oni problem for us, I think a pair of pants could be made on the house.”

“That would be amazing,” Touma answered, thinking about Shuu’s holey sweats.

“How many pairs of pants do you need?” Saori asked.

“With pockets?” Kasane chirped in.

“Oh, as many pockets as you want, pockets are great!” Touma answered her.

Ryo laughed, “Let me at those cargo pants.”

Kasane picked up Ryo, draped him over her arm, and brought him in the back of the shop, “We have to measure him.” She said as she twisted him out. A measuring tape stretched between delicate places, making him yelp. Patting on the head when done, she said, “We’ll have these done by the end of the day.”

Beating a fast pace back to the others, Ryo noticed the others stifling laughs. “Should I feel violated?”

“Totally,” Touma said as Shin said, “No.”

He looked to Nasuti, “You’re fine, Ryo.” She answered.

Rajura cleared his throat, “May I suggest, unless we want to participate in the cleaning process, that we take a quick look at the marketplace. At least we can get a better idea of what they offer.”

They agreed and started down the street. Passing by the entrance to Ibaraki’s nest, they noticed the door open and junk piled outside – garbage, booze bottles. “It looks like he’s cleaning,” Touma said with awe. “Let’s go take a look!”

Waved on, Touma ducked his head into the shop. “Hello!” Touma called, “How’re doing, man? Feeling any better today?”

Ibaraki came out of the back and saw them, “Better, what are you up to today?”

“We’re going to go window shopping at the market. Shuten asked if we saw you to see how you were doing.”

Ibaraki smiled hugely, “He really cares about me like that?”

“He’s a really caring guy,” Touma answers smoothly.

Ibaraki was touched, “I’ve got some money to spend, can I come with you?”

“Uh, yes? Hey guys, do you mind if he comes with us?” Touma called out.

A chorus of okays floated back, and Ibaraki joined them. He led the way to the entrance when asked, which was strewn with graffiti and posters for various advertisements. Some looked quite old, and they wondered if this entrance was used all that often.

“I have some money,” Ibaraki declared. “I would love, I think, to get a sword. What are you looking for?”

Ryo answered and joined him at the front of the line, “We’re also looking for weapons.”

“Woah, well, uh,” he pulled out a tiny coin purse with a crudely embroidered Oni head on it. “I made this,” he said proudly.

Ryo nodded, not quite getting what it was, but wanting to keep the Oni happy.

Ibaraki continued, “Well, you know, I guess, you were all nice to me, you can have the money for a sword. Do you think Shuten would like it if I bought you a sword?”

Rajura cut in, “He would think it an incredibly generous offer.”

“Then, we’ll find a nice sword.”

Ibaraki had to duck underneath several doorways and awnings of the various shops. They saw multiple shops: Weapon Shop, Armor Outfitters, Poisons and Herbs, Food Stalls, Dyes, Sewing Supplies, and Leather Precious Metals and Jewelry, and “Oddities.”

“Burning man,” Ibaraki called to Ryo, “We go here.” He stepped up to the weapons shop. The little dokkaebi looked up at the oni, barely coming up to his knee. “We want a sword.”

Ryo took a look at the various swords, katana, claymores, and rapiers. Various daggers and knives sat mixed in, all very high quality. Most were display pieces – they looked great but wouldn’t hold up in battle. Until he saw it. The beauty was a bit tarnished, definitely worn, and not exactly on display. It sat almost underneath another sword, but it called to him. It promised Ryo the hints of victory and glory in the coming battle. Ryo knew this sword saw blood and served its master well.

The shopkeeper handed him the sword when asked, although surprised. Ryo held the katana, feeling the balance, the ring of the metal all the way down the tang, and potential it whispered. “This is it,” Ryo declared with awe.

Seiji held his hand out for the blade, and although Ryo hesitated being parted with it, he gave it over. Seiji inspected the blade, “It’s a fine tool,” He declared. “It needs some work, but it’s strong.”

The shopkeeper named a price, and Rajura barked a laugh, “Surely you don’t think a half-rusted and twisted blade like that is worth 50P. Look at what you have in front of you. No, we offer no more than 7P.”

“30P, no lower.”

“10.”

“25”

“20P, or we walk away,” Rajura said firmly.

The shopkeeper scowled, but said, “20P. But nothing else.”

Ibaraki smiled as he handed over the money. Walking away, he turned to Rajura, “That was amazing. I would never have gotten that price.”

Rajura patted his arm, “Our need is great, and your help is appreciated.”

Ibaraki smiled, “I’m hungry.” He said as they stopped by a food stall. “Do you like onigiri?” At everyone’s agreement, Ibaraki bought nearly twenty rice balls. He gave each of them two while keeping the other ten to himself. Ryo had a time eating trying to balance the swords and the rice balls.

As they walked back, Ibaraki walked them to the cars while babbling to Touma about renovating the store and turning life around. He finished as they approached his store with “And I think I could be small like you, but your hair is way too short. But we could be twins!”

“Okay, yeah,” Touma answered. “We need to get back now. I’m sure the others are waiting for us.”

“Where are you guys going? Where is Shuten?”

“Shuten is still back at the apartment,” Rajura answered.

“Can I go see Shuten, please?”

Touma hesitated, “You are welcome to visit, but I don’t think you’ll fit in the cars.”

Seiji agreed, “I don’t think there is enough space in the cars.”

Ibaraki looked at the cars, putting his face to Touma’s window. He could pick up traces of lavender, which repulsed him. “I have an idea.” He went over to Seiji’s car, climbed on top, and hung onto the bike rack, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Touma watched the suspension sag, “Well, it’s not going to go very fast, now.”

“Are you calling me fat? Look no fat.” Ibaraki flexed his arm muscles.

Rajura patted Seiji on the shoulder, “Good luck.”

They all got into their cars, Rajura riding with Shin and Ryo riding with Nasuti. She led, with Seiji and Ibaraki following close, knuckles white on the wheel around every corner and bump in the road. Directly behind, Shin and Rajura alternatively traded giggles as they tried to be worried, while Touma enjoyed the sight of Ibaraki laughing with his hair blowing in the wind.

As they pulled into the underground parking lot below the apartments, Ibaraki dismounted, “I would like to do that again. I would like one, but oni size.”

Touma mumbled, “Hummer.”

“Yes, I would like a Hummer. And I would like it to be blue.”

“I don’t know if they have any here, but we can find out,” Touma answered, going over to Seiji to help calm him down. Ibaraki shook himself like a dog, spraying oily water everywhere.

As they got up to the apartment, Ibaraki called out, “Shuten-doji, my friend, I have come to greet you!”

Not expecting this, and unprepared, Shuten startled, “Oh, hello.” He said.

Ibaraki was pleased with himself and told him, “I rode on top of the small Hobart, and I bought a sword for the one who smells like burning.” Laughter was heard from the others, but Shuten lost for words. “Are you proud of me Shuten, I have done very good, I think.”

“Yes, um, I’m proud of your display of generosity.”

“I am going to get a blue Hummer!”

Shuu bursts out laughing at a joke most didn’t get, especially the Masho. Shuten just wondered what a hummer was, “Fantastic. I hope that goes well for you.” To which Shuu just laughed harder, turning red from lack of oxygen.

“The burning man likes his new sword, yes?” Ibaraki asked.

Ryo pulled out the new katana, presenting it to Shuten to handle first. Shuten took it for examination, “A sturdy blade. Battle worn.”

“We may find other weapons from the other humans around before. I also brought food!” He pulled several packets of Cheetos out of his yukata. “Shuten, I am doing good, yes?”

Shuten nodded, “Yes, you are being very generous. I am proud of you. Are you finding it feels better when you are generous?”

Ibaraki blinked and nodded, “I also think that someday I will be small and blue, like that one,” he pointed to Touma. The surprised look on Touma’s face made the sound that came out garbled around the white cheddar Cheetos in his mouth resembled “What?”

“I don’t have money anymore, the sword and food I bought used it all. How do we make more money? I usually just steal it.”

Shuten cringed, “You can’t do that anymore.”

“So, how do we get more money?”

“There’s a job board downstairs. We can help people with problems they have, and in exchange, they will give us money to fix those problems.”

“So, what problem do I kill?” Ibaraki said, punching the air.

“I mean, we are looking to get some weapons to fight some keukegen.”

Ibaraki shook one clenched fist. “I have plenty of weapons right here.” He then quieted, “If you fight the death dogs, bring a lantern.”

The rest perked up at Ibaraki knowing what they were fighting against. Shuu dug out his crank light and fired it up “Check this out.”

Ibaraki was fascinated, half-blinded by the bright light, “Yes, let’s go now!” he called while marching out. He was halfway downstairs before realizing he didn’t know where to go. Returning, he said, “Where are the dogs?”

“You can go with us when we go. We need to gather some things and you can follow along.” Shuten said. “If you shared food with the others, then the rest of us need to eat more than just a few snacks. We need to get our supplies.”

“Can I ride on the small Hobart again?”

“We actually don’t have to drive. We will be walking there.” Shuten answered, but Ibaraki looked sad. “We don’t want to alert them to our presence.”

Ibaraki’s brow creased with confusion. “I am not good at stealth.”

“That’s fine; we will do our best.”

“I still like the small Hobart, not the big one.”

Shuu picks up mace – “Alright, let’s get it on!”

Nasuti and Kayura were convinced to stay in the apartment with Byakuen for safety. The rest followed down to the cars, picking up some weapons and food for those that stayed behind to clean. They then walked down to the street to the scorched apartment complex.


	17. Chapter 17

It stood before them: three floors tall, some with balconies. A breeze rustled the leaves in the abandoned courtyard. No one had been around here for a long time. The scent of stale garbage hung in the air as they looked, watching for anything to give them a clue of what was happening inside.

“That must be it!” Ibaraki cried out, running to the apartment. “I will go beat up the dogs!”

“You have to appreciate his enthusiasm,” Touma said with wonder.

Shin was worried, however, “Is it wise to leave him to do this on his own?”

“He’s gonna Leroy Jenkins this shit,” Shuu complained.

Shuten pinched the bridge of his nose before calling out, “Iba! Stop! You may wish to move with the group.”

Obediently, Ibaraki stopped, looking back as if confused they didn’t follow. Shuten continued, “Stealth.”

Ibaraki looked at himself, at Shuten, and then back at himself, “I’m too big for stealth.” He said sadly. Looking around, he hid behind one of the bushes that lined the sidewalks bush.

Shuten sighed with a pinched look, “Good work, that shows thoughtfulness.” Ibaraki poked his head up and smiled.

“So, what’s the plan?” Shuu asked. 

“Well,” Touma said, “We don’t know how many are inside, but they don’t like light, so they probably don’t want to come outside. We could clear out one floor at a time.”

Shuten nodded, “We'll need to make sure we can get out if anything goes wrong. It may be wise to attempt to clear them out one floor at a time to make it a more manageable task.”

“We could find an area large enough to fight,” Touma said. “Lure them there and perhaps lay an ambush.”

Ryo nodded, “So, how do we lure them?”

Shuten smirked to Rajura, “I’m sure a little tune could wake them up, draw them out.” He nodded to the instrument Rajura had yet to put down properly.

“These are pack animals, from what we are told,” Anubisu said. “If you find alpha, the rest of the pack will follow. Kill it, and the pack will fall apart.”

“Do you have any meat?” Ibaraki cut in, to which everyone said “No.”

Shin asked, “Iba, what did you mean?”

“Well, they eat meat.” Ibaraki waved to the dead crows that seemed to litter the place. 

Shin shook his head, “They may be asleep, so that may not work, but good thinking.”

“We could irritate the fuck out of them,” Shuu continued Shuten’s line of thought. “You know, with the gift from your girlfriend, Rajura. And once they’re awake, they’ll come out for the meat.”

“Yes, that was my thinking.” 

Shuu smiled, “A little twang twang?” 

Rajura sighed, “Yes, Shuu.” 

“Alright, let’s move inside. Keep quiet, and we’ll take a position in the lobby. We’ll take up positions ready for a surprise attack. Agreed?” Shuten commanded. Everyone nodded, not questioning his leadership.

Everyone entered the building, fanning out to take defensive positions when a loud BANG happened behind them. Ibaraki cried out in pain after hitting his head on the door frame. “Why are these so small?”

Being hushed, they paused to see or hear if anything came about. Fortunately, nothing seemed to have heard them. Shuten pointed to a large couch and desk for some to hide behind. Others took up other cover behind doors and chairs. The smell of decay and waste permeated the place.

Shuu pulled Ibaraki behind the couch, whispering, “You good buddy?”

Ibaraki squinted in pain, but answered as quietly, “Everything is built so small.”

“Ya dude, I don’t have that problem, but I get it.” He noted that even hunched down, Ibaraki’s horns stuck out. Shuu grabbed a lampshade and stuck it on him. “There, camouflage.” Ibaraki smiled at him.

Rajura hid behind a wall, willing an illusion in the center of the room. It slightly surprised everyone to see, but no one said anything. Shuten and Anubisu crouched semi-hidden on opposite sides of the illusion, ready to act.

The first unsettling notes called out through the empty halls. They echoed eerily, creating harmony and dissonance in the echoes.

Soon enough, low, deep panting and snuffling noises accompanied the clicks of nails on the tile. The first of the demon dogs entered, looking emaciated beneath matted black hair. It jumped at the illusion, pus dripping from its muzzle while the other four entered the room.

“I’m smashing all of you!” Suddenly echoes in the room, and the couch flies towards the dogs. They scattered, all but one. The crunch of bones signaled the others to snarl and lunge. 

Anubisu threw his dagger at the first dog that leaped at the illusion, embedding the weapon in its side. Its pained cry merged with the yelp of the second dog as Shuten attacked, striking it with the staff from Seiji’s car. Naaza slit the throat of the first dog. 

Another one lunged at Seiji, but the mace threw his balance off-kilter. He barely dodged out of the way in time. Ryo saved him from the brutal bite by beheading the being in one blow. He gave Ibaraki a thumbs up, smiling over his new sword.

Flames erupted, lighting the room in an ethereal blue and singing the fur of the next dog as it took off into the hall. Shin stood shocked, the fire coming from him. “What the fuck?” Shuu said.

“But,” Ryo sputtered, a bit jealous, “But, your armor is water!”

Twang – the arrow Touma let loose skittled over the back of the last dog. “Dah fuck,” Touma muttered. 

Shuu called out, “Got it!” And he punched the dog right in the face. Furious, it turned on him, attempting to bite his arm, only catching slightly as a knife buried itself in its neck, toppling it dead.

They listened for more sounds, anything to alert them of the next wave of keukegen that were coming for them, but it was quiet.

Touma gathered his stray arrow, as Anubisu pulled his daggers from the two dogs, wiping them on a piece of cloth he picked off the floor. Shuten called for Ibaraki to help him dispose of the dead creatures, making room for more. The Masho noted the Troopers weren’t as at ease as before, unused to disposing of the dead as they were. 

Going over to Shuu, Shin grabbed his arm, inspecting the bite on his arm. He could see the marks were shallow, bleeding well, and he just knew his friend wasn’t poisoned. “It’ll be fine until we can get back and get some medicine.” He said. “But, we do need to take care of it when we get back, or it will become infected. Ryo, Seiji, would you help me find something to bandage this?”

“The scent of blood will bring more,” Touma said. “And I’m sure that the rest heard something.”

“Really? Dude, really?” Shuu said exasperatedly. “You want to use me as bait, I guess?” But suddenly he was in the air, held like a rag doll.

“Little Stone Mountain is okay?” Ibaraki asked, tipping him one way and then another.

Shuu answered, “I’m like Gucci Gang!”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Shuu heard a mumbled, “No one knows what he ever means,” that sounded like Rajura. “Yes, I will live,” Shuu replied, “please put me down.”

Ryo held up a black shirt, “How about this – er – ah, let’s tear this up…” He held up one of the ugliest shirts ever beheld. Based on the three wolves howling at the moon shirt, this one had actor Nicolas Cage three times with the moon. A mix of confusion and agreement met Ryo’s suggestion and the shirt was quickly torn into bandages. “You know, the spider sisters make clothes. They’re gonna make me pants.”

“Oh, dude, you got cargo pants, didn’t you?” Shuu asked with a smile, to which Ryo nodded. “Why are you such a basic bitch? Shin, I understand how you feel about these sweatpants, but I’ve got to replace this shirt. At some point, I’m gonna inhale too much and there’s only so much these seams can take.”

“I’d give you my shirt if we were the same size,” Shin answered, tying the cloth around Shuu’s arm.

“Ha,” Shuu laughed. “That’d be worse. You’re wearing a button-down shirt. That’d be some serious Thunder Down Under shit, and I’m not ready to be a short Channing Tatum.”

“If you’re done spouting references only the five of you would get,” Rajura cut in, “are we ready to move on?”

“They’re moving around up there; I think they heard us,” Touma said. 

Ibaraki grabbed the lampshade again, getting behind the couch as everyone reset. Rajura started the illusion again and played with a few more missed notes and dissonance – the stress of the situation was getting to him. 

The first of the keukegen sniffed around the corner, snarling as it saw the illusion. It jumped.

A mighty roar sounded again as Ibaraki tossed the couch. It tumbled on end, missing the dogs altogether, while falling through Rajura’s illusion and nearly hitting Anubisu. The dog rounded on Anubisu and he was barely able to deflect the bite. Shuten speared the dog as it turned again, killing it. They shared a look and Anubisu nodded his thanks.

Seiji caught the next dog with his mace, slaying it in a flurry of fur as it lunged at Ryo. The fire Trooper managed to stick his sword in the floor and was attempting to pull it out when Seiji saved him.

The third and fourth dogs ran to Naaza, Touma, and Shin. Together, Naaza and Shin held up their hands and produced a blinding set of light – Shin conjured his blue flames and Naaza his blinding light. The two attacks seemed to feed on each other, scorching the dogs. “Fascinating,” Naaza muttered. 

As one of the dogs got up, Touma drew his arrow back, adjusting for the space, and let fly. The arrow went through the dog, pinning it to the ground where it swiftly died. Shuu hit the other dog, hoping for a clean kill, but it rounded on him. He put his hands up when it was pulled away and thrown to the far wall by Ibaraki. Both Shuten and Anubisu ducked under the dog as it flew over them.

The last dog was tag-teamed as Seiji wailed it with his mace and Ryo beheaded it.

In the quiet aftermath, Shuu called out, “Highlander much, Ryo?”

“‘There can only be one,’,” He replied. “We should get the bodies out of here before more come.” The others agreed and started pulling the dogs to the back of the room. Ibaraki picked up three of them, tossing them idly. 

New clicking came from outside the room. The group took up their positions again, the couch being pulled into position, now clearly broken. This time, there were several more, close to a dozen in the hall waiting.

They didn’t fall for the illusion this time, two of them going straight for Shuten. Ibaraki pushed the couch into the one, to have it turn on him and bite his hand. He roared, allowing the other dog to sidestep Shuten’s staff and delivering a solid bite to his arm. 

Seiji and Ryo backed up, shoulder to shoulder as two dogs approached them. Seiji hit one backward, as Ryo cut off the other’s head. The hurt dog rounded on Shin and Naaza, but Naaza produced the light, searing its flesh and scaring it off. It ran through the pack, getting itself torn apart by its fellows for trying to escape.

“I’m counting on you, Anubisu,” Rajura said in Anubisu’s ear as the next dog approached them. They both knew Rajura meant don’t let me down, you bastard. As it jumped, Anubisu speared it under the jaw and sliced its neck in quick succession. It was dead before hitting the ground. He smirked at Rajura, who just raised an eyebrow.

Touma shot one of the now fleeing dogs as Ibaraki grabbed another and smashed it on the floor.

Shuten backed up to Shuu, who punched out an additional dog as it lunged at them. He cracked the skull on the floor. Seiji’s mace swung by his line of sight, taking out another one. “Getting good with that!” Shuu called out. Seiji smiled slightly, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Now,” Shin called out, and he and Naaza created another flame combination that burned two more of the dogs. The intent destroyed them. An arrow from Touma took care of the next-to-last dog as Ibaraki smashed the last one. 

The group stood in place, still listening and breathing heavily. Most of them had splatters of red on themselves, and the floor was being soaked with blood. It wasn’t that bad, but they were definitely not fit for public company right now.

Fortunately, nothing more came. Even after waiting a while and having Ibaraki search the building, no more dogs could be found. The soothing tune Rajura played for them helped calm nerves and soothe spirits. After about a half-hour of waiting, they decided they were done.


	18. Chapter 18

Returning to the black building, somewhat worse for wear, the group reported the keukegen have been removed from the apartment complex to the best of their knowledge. Floating at the front desk were three ujigami: one green, one blue, and one purple. 

Among them were tiny humanoid fairy-like creatures; four in total. Their skin was varied but dark with dark hair and woven, brightly-colored clothing. They floated just like the ujigami and sported a pair of dragonfly wings.

“Thank you very much for driving the keukegen away!” The ujigami praised the group, twinkling in their various colors. “Now we have more room for people who come here and need a place to stay. It helps us too!”

“Yes, it gives us somewhere else to go, and people to meet!” Another added.

“And maybe... a family?” The dark fairy said.

The fairies giggled and, in a language foreign to the group, spoke among themselves. Waving their hands, a black velvet pouch appeared on the front desk. Inside was 300 pesos.

“If you want to, you can visit the Oracle upstairs. She's on the third floor. We can let Hibiscus know you're coming if you wish.” One of the fairies answered.

Ryo turns to his comrades. "Maybe the Oracle knows where our armor is. Or maybe she's like Glinda and can get us home."

"Not a bad idea," Touma answered.

Shuu chuckled and clicked his heels twice. "I wish for a hot shower. I wish for a hot shower." He said.

The group was directed to the stairs on the far end of the first floor since the elevators had no electricity. As they trudged up the first set of stairs and passed the second-floor door they noticed several signs were plastered all over the door in various languages:

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY  
(English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Hindi)

The door was locked, and listening to the noise behind it, the group heard very hushed murmurs and what appeared to be the humming of electricity. They looked at each other but decided to move on. The Masho had the sensation of being on the other side of the door to Naaza’s room, something they all distinctly avoided.

Going up the next set of stairs, they found what looked to be office spaces. The whole layout looked like it used to be a cubicle farm for the bank that inhabited this building during the Troopers’ time. Now, the cubes had been dismantled and set along the far wall. The scent of fragrant flowers filled the air and a water fountain bubbled happily.

The carpeted floor was clean and the windows along the outside wall opened, revealing more of the same overcast sky. One of the offices on this floor had been converted into a waiting room of sorts.

A young woman sat at a fancy black marble front desk. Suntanned skin with glimmering pink eyes contrasted against her long, green hair covered in various colorful flowers. She appeared to be tending to her fingernails like a stereotypical secretary.

Posted on the front of the marble desk were three posters in three languages: English, Japanese, and Greek. They read:

Rules for Oracle Readings  
Each question costs 10P  
• Understand the Oracle is blind and mute. Use this information when forming your question.  
• Only one question per person.  
• Do not touch the Oracle.  
• Bribery is not acceptable.  
• Any inappropriate behavior will result in ejection and a ban.

Behind the young woman was a closed door, presumably leading to the Oracle herself.

Shin reread the sign. "'Blind and mute.' So, she can hear us. I wonder how she conveys her answers. And if they're anything like the myths."

"Fortune tellers are scam artists," Anubisu said. "They speak in riddles so vague that anything can be twisted to match their 'vision.' Even if it were true, just knowing what may come means we could change it. It's a waste of time here."

Ryo chuckles, "Her prediction for Rajura's boo seems to hold up."

"And if she said hair as black as midnight, Saori-san would have been all over you." He responded. "Prophecies only make sense afterward when you can force the words to fit reality."

"Look, we need to get home. We need our armors. Crazy as this is, it's still an opportunity we should seriously consider."

Shuu shrugged, "This place is full of higglety pigglety magic, dude. Shin just pissed water out of his freakin’ HANDS a couple of hours ago. Maybe this lady is legit. Can't hurt. I want to know how to get my armor back and how to go home. And if she can nudge us towards that so I don't feel like I'm wandering around with my hand down my pants, I'll welcome it."

“This is definitely worth investigating. What are we asking? And how are we phrasing the questions?” Seiji asked.

Ryo shrugged. "Don't look at me. Maybe we should ask Nasuti or Kayura before we go."

"I'm okay to go ask Nasuti,” Touma agreed. “We know I can be a socially awkward pigeon. But I'd venture to guess it wouldn't be nice for us all to bombard her questions one right after another." He shrugged, "It's one question per person. Maybe one of us asks where we can find the armors of the Samurai Troopers, another can ask about the Masho's armors, and someone else could ask how we get back home?"

"Pffft pigeon." Shuu chuckled but nodded. "Yeah, let's include the girls. They tend to be the voice of reason."

Seiji stepped forward slightly and bowed to the receptionist. “Now that we know how the Delphi Oracle wishes to be approached, we will return soon. I hope we have not bothered you.” She waved them off dismissively.

Touma whispered to the others, "Maybe we should get some sort of food on the way home? We'll need to eat something later and the girls might be hungry."

The group decided to leave the black building with the ujigami and small fairies to return to the apartment complex. 

The apartment door was open, and a conversation could be heard out into the stairwell.

"--at the very least, we know they won't come up here."

"Yes, but... my robes are all dirty now. Do you think Suiko-san could make more water?"

"I'm sure he could! I don't see why not. I don't know how he does it, but--"

"How do we all do what we do?" Kayura asked worriedly. 

"That's a fantastic question." Nasuti smiled at her. 

Touma raised a brow and glanced at the others before poking his head, "Nasuti? Kayura?"

Nasuti was the first to address Touma, having removed the cardigan she was wearing earlier. She sighed deeply. “...we... had a bit of an issue while you boys were gone,” Nasuti said, noting Rajura’s wide eyes at seeing Kayura. “Nothing we couldn’t handle, though. Byakuen helped, but we’re going to need more fresh water if Shin has any more up his sleeve.”

Kayura nodded in agreement. She was not wearing her robes any longer, instead wearing the butterfly scrubs taken from the hospital. “Yes, we were taking debris out to the dumpster outside. The rain wasn’t so bothersome, but those roaches approached us and vomited all over my robes!”

“We took care of them.” Nasuti finished.

Kayura smiled broadly, “It seems to me that we, too, were given unusual... abilities. We used these to help fight off the roaches.”

Nasuti made a gun with her hand. “Kayura shoots lightning now, by the way.”

”Yagyu-san, please.” She whispered shyly. “I was trying to formulate a better way to introduce this information...”

Touma tilted his head, looking between the two girls at a loss for words.

Rajura immediately went into protective mode as he strode up to Kayura and started looking her over. "Are you hurt, Kayura-sama? Where is that ujigami, I thought they said this place was safe!"

“I’m right here!” The little green spirit flame floated above the upturned coffee cup where it “sat.” 

Kayura tried her best to calm Rajura. “No, I’m not hurt. The ujigami keeps the apartment safe, but outside might be... what’s the phrase... fair game?”

“I’m not strong enough to protect the outside…”

Frustrated and with no one to blame but himself, the Masho bowed lowly, a quiet growl escaping his throat. "Please forgive me, Kayura-sama. I have been too lax with my duties in this place." If Rajura was bothered by this sudden show of submission in the presence of others, he hid it well enough.

Hearing Rajura's concern, Anubisu moved forward to see what happened, touching Shuten on the arm to prompt him forward as well. Seeing Kayura in the cute clothes from earlier and Rajura bowing, he smiled slightly. "I assume you left none to bother us further, Lady?"

Kayura, for her part, gently touched Rajura’s shoulders. His concern was both dutiful and endearing. “There’s no need to apologize, Rajura-san. I fought too. I just... fight differently now, I suppose?”

To Anubisu, she nodded in the affirmative. “None left that I saw.”

“I’ll keep them away! They can’t come in here when I’m here!”

Anubisu nodded back to her, "Good girl."

As he walked away, his fingers felt sticky. Looking down, he saw a few smears of blood, not his own. Glancing at Shuten, he noticed the arm he touched just moments ago was being favored. He debated saying anything, leftover anger and concern mixing uncomfortably but decided in favor. 

Pulling him off to the side, Anubisu whispered to Shuten, "Are you injured?"

Shuten, equally quietly, huffed. "Not debilitating. I did not want to raise any alarm among the ladies. Kayura may fret... but if Yagyu-san sees me bloodied she will likely quarantine me and nurse maid me... and I fear she is much more powerful than I. Once we are more private I was going to swallow the bitter medicine that is asking Naaza for help." He gave Anubisu a smile that he hoped would be reassuring.

"Hmm, be sure you do." Anubisu answered. He turned away, watching the others.

Shuten gave him a more genuine smile this time. "Oh no. Dear me, are you going to come for me as Yagyu-San might? If so, I'll have to remember that the next time you exhaust yourself to the point of resisting returning to your sleeping spot."

"What are you...?" And then he remembered. "There's a big difference between fatigue and bleeding. And if you and she are so close, perhaps I should whisper in her ear that you do need tending. Shuten, what were you doing in that room alone with Yagyu-san?" He teased.

"Nothing that would besmirch the lady's honor, naturally." Oh, how the tides had been turned on him. Touché, Anubisu. Touché.

"At least not while her guard are nearby to defend her honor. Not that I think it would take much, it's plain to see how smitten she is with you." Anubisu finished flatly.

Shuten nearly choked on his own tongue. "You misunderstand." He whispered back. "Modern women aren't as... demure... as the ones we are used to. They are more open about their affections, yes, but just because a modern woman expresses aloud that she cares about your wellbeing? It would be dangerous to assume from it what one could in our time."

"If you so insist. I shall take your word for it." Not that he believed it. "There," Anubisu nodded to Naaza going into their room, "he'll be alone now and you can get yourself fixed up without offending delicate sensibilities. Or letting us misconstrue your intentions." He finished with a smirk before walking over to Kayura.

Shuten, trying valiantly to not let Anubisu feel TOO MUCH like he had won, decided to nod his head politely before shuffling off after Naaza to get patched up.

Kayura leaned in to murmur quietly to Anubisu. "Do not worry, onii-san. This new lightning ability of mine is nowhere near as impressive as yours. And it is.... purple, for some reason."

Anubisu looked down at her, "Fitting." Thinking of how purple is a royal color. "Practice a bit, and I'm sure you'll be shocking us from across the room. Just remember some of us can do it back." He laughed a bit. "And that Naaza can poison our food."

She was aghast. "Anubisu-san, I would never! Only our enemies. I wouldn't want to hurt you, ever." She frowned deeply, crossing her arms. Kayura looked like a very stern pediatric nurse. "But... some target practice might be useful?"

"Rajura is over there."

Once his brain came out of 'error' mode, Touma gave a slight nod, "Right. Well I'm glad you're all okay, and you shoot lightning now?" He remembered he'd been a little more than unnerved the first time he got powers. Yes, they had been from his armor but magic was magic. "You still okay..?" He asked, looking at Kayura. "Not too freaked out from it all?"

“Truth be told, Tenku-san, my swords could do a lot more than this. Still, as odd as it may seem, it’s not so unusual. Although,” Kayura tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Yagyu-san has a power now which reminds me of your arrows.”

Nasuti chuckled. “That’s... that’s a new one. Like lumos but more... projectile. I kind of panicked and it just... happened.”

Touma looked at Nasuti for a minute, "Wait, what...? Did you two get sorted into Hogwarts houses while we went out to kill demon doggos?"

Kayura blinked at Touma, curious. “Tenku-san, that sounds like a horrific skin condition—“

“Kayura, it’s from a book series. It’s about wizards. You might like it!” Nasuti started laughing as she explained.

“I’d rather not come down with the pork pox, but I thank you for the vote of enthusiasm, Yagyu-san.”

Nasuti wheezed and looked to Touma for help.

Touma was trying really hard not to laugh but he knew he was smiling, "Hogwarts is the name of the school kids go learn magic at. I don't know why it's called Hogwarts, but the school animal is a boar. There's four other animals too." He patted her shoulder softly, "I own the series, my mom sent it to me. When we get back home, you can borrow them. I have a feeling you'll like them." Then he remembered, "Oh and there's mermaids and unicorns in the books."

Kayura perked up, realizing the only books she really had access to were academic texts and books of poetry Rajura had provided. “That sounds lovely, Tenku-san. I think I shall take you up on the offer, once we return home. Thank you.”

"Kayura, you can call me Touma. It's okay you know." He looked at her, his smile softening.

The priestess blushed when given permission to address the bearer of Tenku so informally. “Ah, well, I... as you wish, Ten—-ah, Touma-san.”

Meanwhile, Naaza seemed eager to have a chance to test out his new abilities again. Perhaps a little too eager. "Let's see what happens when I'm aware of this ability, shall we?" He cast the spell, just as he had done before, and in a similar fashion, Shuten's wound began to close.

Shuten flinched a bit, with his history with Naaza he had expected whatever cure Naaza induced to hurt more than the injury itself. So, when it was only mildly uncomfortable he blinked in surprise. "Amazing. You've sorted out healing with less pain?"

"Actually, this is only the second time I've done it," Naaza replied, his eyes glued to the now-mended flesh. "Kongo was also injured, yes? Where is he? I could use another test subject."

Shuten flexed his arm somewhat. "If you can get to him before Suiko-san experiments on him first." He said, motioning out the door.

Naaza's eyes widened in surprise, then crossed his arms deep in thought. "I had no idea Suiko experimented as well. I will have to ask him what his results have been."

Outside, "Shuu, how is your leg?" Shin piped up. 

"Oh. I'm FIIIINE. Little fucker just chomped me good but he didn't get any meat off of me." He smiled. "S'not bleeding hard or nothin' but I should still probably clean it huh? Cuz their mouths were extra gross?"

Naaza approached the two, looking curiously at Shuu leg, “Ah, Kongo-san, would you like me to help Suiko-san heal your wound?”

"Err, Naaza-san. I was just going to use regular first aid to clean and cover the wound." Shin then wondered, and asked with a whimsical look. "Do you think I have healing abilities in addition to fire and water?"

The Masho shrugged. "There's only one way to find out." His ensuing grin was incredibly unsettling.

Ryo looks at Naaza. "You're giving off some heavy Frankenstein vibes, man."

Shuu tittered nervously, "Shin man, protect me. I don't want Naaza playing with my leeeg." He laughed nervously. "I think he might take it."

“I think you might be a bit overly attached,” Seiji said with a straight face while Touma chuckled. Kayura laughed behind her hand.

"Let him fondle your leg then, bro." Shuu pouted in Seiji's general direction.

“Mine isn’t injured.”

"It's alright, Shuu-san. This new healing ability, while perhaps ironic, won't hurt," Rajura said, attempting to be reassuring. "His bedside manner might be atrocious, but it is better than the alternative." He idly placed a hand over the hole in his clothes where he'd been wounded a few days before.

Naaza snorted, “Fine.” He turned to Ibaraki, “You require assistance. Shall I?” 

Ibaraki nodded as Shuten motioned it was okay. 

Naaza held his hand over the injury, watching it start to close. But, it didn’t completely heal. “Interesting.” Naaza assumed his powers didn’t work on non-humans, but he would have to test this theory. 

“Wow,” Ibaraki cried out. He punched the air with his arm. “Shuten, are there any more dogs to fight?”

Shuten shook his head, “I’m afraid not right now. We need to discuss seeing the oracle and figuring out our next move.”

“I don’t like talking, so I’m going home.” Ibaraki turned and left the room to a chorus of farewells. 

Shuu winced a bit as the initial cleaning with rubbing alcohol did the familiar sting. He stammered, however, when Shin brushed one of his fingers against the bite and the wound started to stitch back together. "Hubba-wha? Dude. You're a fuggin wizard, Harry. What the fuck!?" He said, folding himself up so he could get a clearer look at the injury. The only way you'd have known there was even an injury there was the missing leg hair in the places the skin healed up in. "You turn into a fish, piss water out of your hands, juggle fireballs like Mario, and now you just RUBBED MY BITE WOUND OFF! Next, you're gonna fart rainbows or something!"

Shin looked indignantly at Shuu. "I would never!"

Shuu blinked somewhat. "I think if rainbows start coming out your ass, you won’t get much of a choice in the matter, dude. But, like, holy shit, dude, you even cured the dry skin on my leg! Touma! Come touch my leg! It's soft as a baby's ass!!!!"

"You say that like I'd know what a baby's butt feels like?" Touma shook his head, "Fine. Fine." He walked over and placed a hand on Shuu's leg. "Yeah, it feels like skin."

Shuu rolled his eyes and tsked. "Only child syndrome. Changing diapers builds character, man." He huffed, but continued rubbing at his legs, the one leg feeling much dryer and rougher than the other.

Touma just shrugged, "I'll take your word on that."

"Just wait. When I get some kids someday, I'm gonna come out of that gate a pro, dude. Diaper changing master day one! If you ever replicate, then you'll have to learn it on the fly. Or just build a robot kid or something." Shuu chuckled. He actually didn't know if any of his other friends had ever thought about their future the way he had. He'd thought about it a bit while mulling over coming to terms with his orientation and stuff. Like, had he only wanted kids as a foregone conclusion? Would he still want kids if he married someone who couldn't have kids? He'd chewed on it and came to the conclusion that, not soonish, but inevitably, he did want to be a dad. All this training with his siblings and looking after Kayura had to lead to something after all.

"Dude,” Touma answered, “I'm not sure kids are in the cards for me." And, in truth it wasn't really something he'd ever thought about. Call it selfish, call it being the only child in a divorced career-driven family, whatever. It just wasn't really on his mind. He was okay with kids. Well, no, he was okay with Jun. "Anyways..." He turned his attention back to the ladies, "Since we killed the dogs, we got permission to see the Oracle."

Ryo nods. "Yes. Nasuti, we wanted you and Kayura to come with us to speak with the Oracle. You've always been better with words and solving riddles."

“Yes, I would like to go.” Kayura piped up but with Rajura nearby, clamped down on her enthusiasm. “I have a question I would like to ask.”

“I have lots of questions myself. Hopefully, she’s got time in her schedule for me.” Nasuti chuckled.

“It costs 10 pesos per question, so we need to plan our questions out.” Seiji answered.

"It's also one question per person," Touma looked at Nasuti, "And she's blind and mute."

“Oh, well that makes things a bit more complicated....” Nasuti excused herself for a moment and disappeared into the bedroom she and Kayura shared, returning with an old notepad and a ballpoint pen. “Maybe we could make a list?”

“The most obvious questions are ‘Where are the armors’ and ‘Who or what took them’,” Seiji said to get them started.

"I think one person should ask where our armors are," Touma motioned to himself and his fellow Ronin, "One person asks where their armors are," motioned to the Masho and Kayura, "And some needs to ask how the hell we get home."

"You'll need to be much more specific than that," Anubisu said. "Our home is the Youjakai, but that doesn't define where in that place or when. This reality here has a disparate group of time periods intersecting each other. It does us no good to get home and find out it's six years in the past." Referencing when Arago was at his fullest power. "It will also do us no good if the question allows her to give us a vague answer such as 'in Japan' or a good answer but forget to tell us we have to wait 70 years to get home. We'll have to phrase the question to be as exacting as possible. 

"That is, if she decides to actually answer the question we ask, and not the one she thinks we should be asking." He finished sarcastically.

Nasuti clicked the pen against the notepad thoughtfully. “Well then, I suppose it’s time to start writing down possible questions.”

She started scribbling. “We can cross out the ones we decide not to ask. But I do think, ‘where are the Troopers’ armors?’ and ‘where are the Mashou armors?’ are both good questions.”  
“Maybe amend them to say, ‘where and when in this world are the armors currently?’”

Shuten nodded at Anubisu's words before posing; "If we can simply return to the when and where the Troopers are from, then it will be simple enough for us to return to the Youjakai from there."

Touma had a thought, “Maybe she can only take a few questions per day, so perhaps not everyone needs to ask a question.”

“You’re right; we just need a few to get started,” Nasuti answered. “I think where the armor is and how do we get home should be our priorities.

“We can get really specific if we ask the latitude and longitude. That’s not hard to figure out from there.”

Shuten shook his head. “That works in the Ningenkai, but not the Youjakai, and maybe not wherever we are now. We should try to narrow our questions down to yes or no or A or B-type answers.”

“Are the armors in this world, can we find them in this world, yes or no?” Shin asked.

Shuu nodded sagely, “That’s one way.”

“Maybe we should just focus on one armor,” Ryo suggested. “We can use that armor to find the others like we did when Seiji…” Ryo trailed off, mumbling. “Sorry, Seiji.” He finished quietly.

“It’s fine,” Seiji answered tightly. “It’s a good idea, one that could work.”

“So, who’s armor should we find?” Shin asked. 

“Yami,” Shuten said definitively.

Anubisu’s questions of why were drowned out by Shin asking a better one, “Maybe we should ask who’s would be easy to find. Ask once for our armors and once for the Masho armors.”

“Does it matter?” Shuu asked.

Anubisu agreed with Shin, “There are two sets of armors now. Ours still based on the original armor from Arago and your armor is new.”

Nasuti started writing on a pad of paper, “What would be the fastest way to return to where we were before were here?”

“And easiest,” Shin added.

“What would be the fastest and easiest way to return to where we were before we were taken from the mansion and brought to this world…” She tapped her chin, “with the least amount of time having passed there?”

“That’s a good question,” Seiji complimented, and the others agreed with him.

“So,” Kayura said, “We should know about the best armor to get.”

“The closest armor would probably be the fastest,” Ryo suggested.

Rajura added, “Closest and easiest. The closest might be only a few miles away, but if it's straight down into the earth, it is not the easiest. Shuu’s armor was the easiest for you all to obtain, yet was the farthest away. Given our, um, vulnerabilities, we should choose the armor most likely to obtain with the least amount of effort or risk.”

Nasuti tapped the pad, “Okay, let’s try this one: Using modern Japanese postal codes and street names, where will we find one of our armors that we most likely will recover with the least amount of effort or risk?” 

Several agreements were heard. Seiji then asked, “What if this place doesn’t use postal codes?”

“We’ll have to hope we understand it then.” She answered.

Shuu leaned into Rajura’s personal space and whispered, “That’s why she’s the brains of this operation.”

“As morbid as it may sound,” Anubisu said hesitantly, “It may not be a bad idea to ask if we will all survive this to get home.”

“I don’t know, man,” Shuu answered, “that’s setting up the monkey’s paw.” Several looks of confusion met his statement.

Shin clarified, “It’s from a story. He means setting it up to ensure someone will die.”

Shaking his head, Anubisu answered, “We don’t know if she will tell the absolute future, or just a possible future we can change. If we know it’s a possibility, we can prevent it from happening.

“We can ask what the chances of us all making out alive are,” Touma offered. “It’s a bit like Schrodinger’s cat. If she tells the future and we try to change it, was it the future at all?”

Naaza perked up, “And if we know someone is to die, will our actions make it come true or prevent it? Will it set up someone else to die in their place?” 

“Exactly!” Touma cried out. He moved over to Naaza’s side, continuing to talk about probability, multi-verses, and space-time bending, which left everyone else baffled.

“Okay,” Nasuti called out, grabbing everyone’s attention. “That’s enough of that. I think most of us agree that the question isn’t right for this trip.” She looked hard at everyone, “Do we all agree?”

Several responses of “Yes, Nasuti” and “As you say, Yagyu-sama” were heard. Kayura giggled, watching the nine most powerful men in the world quickly agree with one mortal woman. 

“I want to know where the train goes.” She continued, happy with the agreement. “So, where to and when does the train travel?”

Shin spoke up, too, “I want to find someone to help figure out all these new powers we have.”

“New powers we can use without the armor,” Rajura clarified. “I agree we should know more, especially with the more dangerous powers.”

“Who could we talk to who can answer more questions about these powers we have that manifested after coming to this world?” Nasuti wrote down.

“Should we ask about the Hobart?” Shuu asked.

Touma nodded, “I want to know how that came to be.”

“And how to kill it,” Ryo added.

Rajura disagreed, “Is that really relevant? We can’t do anything until we have our armors against something like that.” 

“I suppose,” Ryo said dejectedly. 

“Okay, we’ll need to figure out who will ask what,” Nasuti said. “I’ll ask about the train.”

“I’ll ask about our abilities,” Shin said. “I’m worried about all these powers.”

“Fire, man, fire…” Ryo teased.

Shuu snickered, “Leakage problem.” And Shin smacked him. Clearing his throat, Shuu continued, “I’ll ask about how to go home.”

Touma handed the pad from Nasuti to Shuu, “Dude, you’ve gotta read the question exactly like that.” He said, tapping the paper. 

Silence reigned for a few more moments, waiting for the next person to speak up. Finally, Anubisu said, “I don’t believe the oracle will tell us the truth, or at least a useful truth. I’ll ask the last question, and others can use their questions later.”

“Should we ask what this world is, and what’s its name?” Kayura asked. 

“Do we need it?” Touma wondered.

“I have a feeling it’s important,” Kayura said. “I want to ask this.”

“Alright,” Nasuti said, taking the pad. She wrote down the question. “Shall we go then?” And everyone agreed.

It was still raining as they crossed the courtyard. With only two umbrellas, they gave one to Nasuti and Shuu tucked Kayura under his arm. He saw Rajura raise an eyebrow, but he caught the slight hint of a smile a bit later. 

The ujigami welcomed them back as they passed to the stairwell behind the job board. Going up the stairs, then passed the Raiju Research floor, hearing buzzing and muffled conversations. Seiji pushed Touma away from the door and further up the stairs.

Then, they entered the third floor.

It was rather unimpressive. A hallway opened up with the same secretary doing her nails. The secretary was beautiful, with hibiscus flowers flowing down her hair, and her tall, lank figure evident behind the desk. She was still filing her nails when everybody arrived. “Oh, hi! I’m Hibiscus. Are you here to see the Oracle?” She asked. Several of them nodded and agreed. “Great! So, how many questions do you want to ask?

Shuu stepped in, “We have five questions, please.”

“That will be 50P then.” Hibiscus pulled out a giant fishbowl and motioned for the money to be deposited. Rajura pulled out the money bag and counted out the total. 

Hibiscus checked the figure and beckoned them through the door.

In the flame-lit room, a young teen sat on a stool behind a white card table. Her long grey hair tangled in the blindfold. The windows behind her cast shadows across her face, even though all they showed was the bland, overcast sky. She beckoned them forward.

After a few moments, Anubisu took a deep breath and stepped away from the others. With a voice that projected more confidence than he felt, he read from the sheet, “Using modern Japanese postal codes and street names, where will we find one of our armors that we most likely will recover with the least amount of effort or risk?”

The oracle listened well, smirked a bit knowingly, and nodded. Anubisu got the feeling she knew he didn’t believe in her. 

But, she moved to a trunk on the side of the room, taking a skull off the top, and rummaged through the trunk. From it, she pulled a bag and took it to the table. From there, she pulled out another small bag that she upended on the table. From the smaller bag, a single light blue marble fell. The oracle picked the marble up and pointed straight up towards the ceiling. Then, she sat down. 

When it becomes obvious nothing more would happen, Anubisu bowed out with thanks. Once back, he mumbled to the others, “that was not helpful,” as he thrust the pad at Shuu.

Shin whispered back, “Maybe it has to do with the rain.” To which Anubisu just snorts. 

Next, Shuu stepped up and cleared his throat loudly. “What would be the fastest and easiest way to return to where we were before we were taken from the mansion and brought to this world with the least amount of time having passed there?”

The oracle nodded and poured the contents of the pouch out. Eight more marbles tumbled out. She carefully lined them up: red, orange, green, light blue, dark blue, yellow, black, dark green, pink. Again, she seemed to finish by sitting down and smiling. Shuu bowed out.

Shin stepped up next and somewhat nervously asked, “Who can we talk to who could answer more questions about these abilities we have that manifested after coming to this world?”

To this, the oracle smiled. She tilted her head, almost exaggeratedly tapped her chin, before pointing to the door slightly to the right. It was where Hibiscus was sitting.

“Okay, thank you, Oracle-sama,” Shin replied as he bowed out.

Now was Nasuti’s turn. She stood proud before the oracle and received a kind smile. Returning it, she asked, “Where to and when does the train travel?”

Tilting her head again, the oracle got up and went to a side table where an hourglass sat. As she returned to the table, she started the hourglass before thumping it on the table for emphasis. She pointed to the top, middle, and bottom before sitting down. 

Nasuti recognized when her turn was over and bowed out. Shuu whispered to her as she got back in line, “So, basically every half hour?”

“She could be meaning this literally or metaphorically,” Nasuti said to Shuten, “I’m wondering since all of these creatures are from different times, could all of these creatures be from the past, present, and future?”

“It’s possible,” he answered. 

Kayura then turned to Rajura suddenly and tugged on his sleeve. “Rajura, can I have ten more pesos, please?” She whispered urgently.

He looked at her sharply, but took out the purse, “Okay, but…”

“Thank you! Rajura.” She cried as she darted out to the desk. They could hear the coins hitting the bottom of the fishbowl as she darted back in. 

Shuten grabbed her, “Wait, you only get one question per person.”

“Ohh,” she said, chewing a nail. She turned big, puppy dog eyes to Shuten, then Touma. Hesitantly, she pulled Shuten in, “Would you ask where the Yami armor is?”

Shuten looks at her, “Where did this come from?”

“I promised.” She said simply.

He sighed at her, “I will ask your original question if you wanted to keep your promise and ask this.”

Overhearing, Anubisu grabbed Shuten’s arm, stopping him. “Kayura, it’s not worth it.”

Kayura stomped her foot, “It is worth it, you are worth it. And as Kongo-sama says, deal with it!” She went up to the oracle and said, “Where and when is the Yami armor?”

The oracle smiled and nodded knowingly. She then put all the marbles back into the pouch, save the black one. She dug through other clutter inside the trunk, finding a toy train in a box before taking it over to the table. She then pointed to the center of the hourglass and placed the black marble in the train. 

Kayura bowed to the oracle and turned back. She stuck her tongue out at Anubisu, flicking the peace sign Shuu taught her. Rajura twitched, clearly upset as Anubisu scowled. Yet, Kayura felt satisfied and received a thumbs up from Shuu. Quietly, she whispered, “I promised I would, so I did.”

Shuten placed his hand on her shoulder, “I’m proud of you, Lady Kayura, for honoring your promises. Because of that, I will ask your question in your stead.” She smiled at him so bright that he knew it was worth it. 

Stepping forward, Shuten asked, “What is this world, and what is its name?”

The oracle collected a bowl and a long, tall vase full of water. She pointed at the bowl, then the vase, and then poured the water into the bowl. Sitting back, she seemed supremely satisfied with herself.

“I don’t understand that at all,” Kayura muttered.

Bowing, Shuten said, “I guess that this space is one where things that are lost flow down and are collected.” He was surprised to see the oracle nodding enthusiastically. Bowing again, he thanked her.

The door behind them opened, enticing them out of the room. They left, feeling relieved that was over. 

“Of course, we have more questions than answers,” Anubisu griped under his breath. 

Shuten patted his shoulder, “It’s fine; that’s fine.”

“But, we knew that was a possibility,” Shin added.

“I know,” Anubisu answered. “Certainly, one does not simply walk into an oracle and not leave more confused.”

Shuten nodded, “But now we know better questions to ask.”

“And we have a better idea of how to ask questions when we come back,” Shin answered.

Kayura ran up to Anubisu then, all smiles. “We know where your armor is now!”

“Yes, Lady,” Anubisu answered. “Thank you for remembering me.” He smiled at her fondly.

“Of course!” Kayura cried, “I love you all. You are the only family I have.”

To the side, they heard Nasuti ask, “Well, does anyone have other questions? Or are we done now?” 

Shuu gave her the finger guns, which she returned with a wink, before he turned to Shin, “I’m good, Shin, do you want to go ask Hib about suddenly being a magic boy?”

Shin nodded, “Very much so.”

“Alrighty!” Shuu answered. “I’ll go with Shin because I’m very curious about how you do the things you do.”

“Like what house were you sorted into,” Touma put in. 

“Totally a Slytherpuff,” To which Shuu got smacked for suggesting it. “I’m a Huffleclaw, thank you very much,” Shin replied.

Shin approached Hibiscus' desk. The dryad was buffing her nails, quite comfortable on the office chair on which she sat. “Hibiscus-san,” Shin began, “the oracle said you could assist me with some magic abilities I have discovered.” When he explained the oracle's answer to his question, she sat up, pointed ears perked. 

"Oh, really, sweetheart? Can you turn into animals, too? That's wonderful! What can little ol' Hibiscus help you with, then?"

Shin blushed and tried to keep his composure, "Um, well, Hibiscus-san, since we've come to this place, I've been able to transform into a ghost-like fish, create water, and even shoot fireballs. I also healed a wound on my friend’s leg. I've always had an affinity towards the water and aquatic creatures, but never anything like this."

Cupping her cheeks, Hibiscus leaned towards Shin, her elbows on the desk. "Really, sweetie? Sounds like you and I have something in common." 

In a flash, the dryad's body glowed and morphed, becoming much smaller before transforming into a bushy-tailed squirrel. Although she couldn't speak in this form, Shin was sure Hibiscus was giggling. She hopped back into her chair before returning to her usual dryad form.

"We used to be able to just turn into trees and plants, you know, to hide from prying godly and human eyes. But if you were around back then, I would've made an exception for you." Shin blushed. With a shrug, she added, "The fire thing is unnerving, so I don't ever do that. The water is so helpful! The rain here is so oily, it's disgusting and freshwater is in short supply. There's quite a lot of other things you and I can do, you know."

Seeing Shuu, she muttered, "...what I mean is, make fog and find magical things and pinpoint disease. Those sorts of things."

Shuu raised an eyebrow but, trusting Shin (and maybe watching him squirm under the attention would be fun), he patted Shin on the head and said quietly, "I'm just gonna lean against the wall back here. I'll wait for you." He gave his fishy friend a thumbs up and moved to the wall a few feet away. He didn't want to be in the middle if fucking MAGIC started popping off.

"Would you mind teaching me how to use my magic?"

"Sure thing, sugar!" Chipper as ever, the dryad left her post at the desk and wound her arm around Shin. "There's plenty of room out here. What all have you already tried? You mentioned fire and water. Have you turned into any animals?"

"A sort of ethereal koi. I could hover over the ground and was able to communicate with one person near me telepathically." Shin glanced at Shuu, remembering his friend’s near mental breakdown.

Hibiscus tapped her chin. "Have you tried... a wolf? A squirrel? How's about a spider?"

"I can turn into other animals? How?"

The dryad nodded with enthusiasm. “Of course! Try thinking of something. Something small. Think of that, just like the fish. Maybe try... try a cat?”

"Oh, okay." Shin thinks of turning into a cat like Thackery Binx--no. Too painful. Okay, more like Professor McGonagall. Before he knew it, Shin turned into a petit tabby.

Shuu, for his part, stood up straight. "Holy fuck." He whispered, coming over enough to squat down and look him over. "Broil my brisket, you are, in fact, a puddy tat. Whiskers and all." He was starting to panic about this less.

“Aww, look how cuuuuute!” Hibiscus bent over to scoop Shin into her arms and snuggle him. “See? You did it, pumpkin! I knew you could! You can do dogs too, and a wolf! Just think of things smaller than that - chipmunks, spiders, snakes, that sort of thing! For some reason, I can’t do birds or fish.”

Shuu initially didn't fret too much at Shin being picked up. He WAS a kitty cat now, after all. And in his experience with his sister's little orange tabby, they loved when cute girls coddled and cooed over them. But, after righting himself and seeing Shin's ears laid back and his bottle brush tail flicking about aggressively, he thought he might interject. Not wanting to embarrass Shin in front of his new tutor, he took the onus onto himself. "H-hey now." He chuckled nervously. "No bogarting, right? Do I get a turn?" He asked her, holding out his arms to accept the very distressed puss puss. He'd only hold him long enough to cover the ruse before setting him back on the floor where he likely wanted to be.

Shin inadvertently started purring after Shuu picked him up.

The dryad seemed none the wiser. “He’s so soft, isn’t he?” she said to Shuu, who cradled the cat like a baby. “How long have you all been here? Can’t say I’ve seen too many humans myself.”

Shuu absentmindedly rubbed his knuckles against Shin's cheek and under his chin the way Ginger liked having his face rubbed. "We've been here a few days. It's been a rough few. Mostly we've met other not-humans like you and the Spider Sisters and our new oni friend Iba. We're trying to get our bearings. And then on top of all of that, my buddy here is going through witch puberty now. " He grumbled, fingers rubbing at the sweet spot just behind the ear. "Apparently there are other humans out there, or at least some who harassed the Spider Sisters... we just haven't gone looking for them yet. I'm guessing they've not bothered you or your sisters?"

“I haven’t seen any humans here during my shifts. It’s just you. Everybody else that comes through here is dokkaebi, some naga, a fancy-looking man... he kind of looks like your raven-haired friend, but taller: longer hair, pointed ears. Seemed older, you know? We get a wide variety up here on this floor.”

Looking back towards the oracle’s room, Hibiscus scratched her head. “When we first got here, it was chaos. This building, I mean. Lots were scrambling to see the Oracle, but Nagendra really established some order right quick. I’m glad the burnt smell finally went away.”

Propping Shin upon his shoulder, Shuu pondered that. "Did they, like, barbeque people?"

“Nagendra? Well...” Hibiscus sighed and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “More like zapped. His lab is below us, on the second floor. He and his team brought a raiju with them. Zapped a couple of these weird, hairy critters when they were causing problems. He let the ujigami move in as long as they kept everybody out of his lab.”

Looking behind Shuu, she murmured, “Your green-haired friend kind of looks like Nagendra, but less... luxurious? I dunno how to describe it. You’ll understand if you see him.”

Shuu peered over at Naaza and stifled a chuckle at the idea of the nutty professor... but luxurious like a Revlon commercial or something. Maybe she just meant Nagendra didn't have eyebrows? "Yeah, I think I remember seeing that they had a job that they needed help with on the board. Maybe we'll see about that soonish. Now. Not that I do not absolutely love all the good brain jelly I'm making by holding my buddy as a puddy tat, but he's got a little problem with getting stuck like this for a long time... maybe like... an hour or so? Is there a way for him to just... poof back to the version of him that can munch on green onions without dying?" He asked. Yeah, he liked the cat a lot more than the spooky ghost fish.

The dryad laughed. “Oh, of course. Once he thinks of himself as a human and has the desire to change back, it’ll happen. Just like that. Neat, isn’t it?”

"Huh. That easy, huh?" Shuu mused, picking Shin back up off his shoulder and looking him in the face. "Don't rub the magical puberty off on me now. If I somehow start growing horns and turning into an ox or something, I'm gonna blame you." He chuckled, scratching the top of Shin's tabby head.

Shin lets out a little meow. Without realizing the position he is in, Shin thinks about returning to his human form. Suddenly, Shuu's arms are carrying a fully human Shin.

A grown-ass human man weighs considerably more than a... maybe... 15-pound house cat. Shin's kitty body starting to glow caught him a bit off guard and was the only warning Shuu got. The sudden change in weight nearly toppled them both over forward. But Shuu, with the sturdiness of the aforementioned hypothetical ox, ground his heels in and braced his arm muscles and managed to right himself straight and make sure Shin did not have to topple to the floor or be embarrassed. He wasn't really that heavy. He weighed about as much as Shuu's nearest sister, and all of Shuu's siblings still enjoyed him picking up and hefting them around effortlessly. 

"Look at you! You did it!" Shuu grinned, giving Shin a little heft, so he was better balanced. "I guess it's gonna be a lot less inconvenient now that you can control that."

"Aww!" swooned the dryad. "Look at you! You're so cute together! Am I interrupting?” They could almost see the hearts in her eyes.

Bright red marked Shuu's skin, rising up from his chest to his hairline, and he scrambled to set Shin back on his feet, realizing how this might look to someone who wasn't familiar with the fact that Shuu could, and often did, just pick up his friends. Granted, it was usually in the form of piggyback rides, but like uuuuugh. "Hahaha. And a comedian too! Yeah. I like you." Shuu laughed at Hibby's comment, getting Shin on his feet. "Sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass you." He whispered to Shin. "Have fun with the rest of your lesson. I'm sorry for interrupting. I'm just gonna go back to the wall."

Rajura rolled his eye at Shuu, “Hibiscus-san, does there happen to be a bathhouse in town?”

“Well, of course, honey, how do you think we all keep smelling so nice,” Hibiscus answered. She smiled at Rajura while he waited for her to continue. “My sisters run it!”

“Are they as pretty as you?” Shuu flirted with a huge smile.

“Duh, honey, duh. Columbine, Aster, and Anemone are simply dolls.”

Touma nodded along, “Is there a fee to use the bathhouse?”

Hibiscus nodded back, “Yes, it’s 5P per person.”

“I’m all for a bath, and all,” Shuu said, “But, I really don’t want to put back on these crummy clothes. There’s no point in getting clean if we put back on slobber covered rags!”

“Maybe we can stop at the Spider Sisters' shop?” Ryo offered. “I need to get my pants.”

They all decided that it was a good idea. And with Shin completing his first magic lesson, they decided to visit to get new clothes. Seiji suggested taking the cars in the interest of time, but Kayura’s “I didn’t like the car,” and Shin’s, “we should save the gas for when we need it,” had others veto the suggestion. 

As the ujigami waved them goodbye, Anubisu suggested they find some food. “After all, we haven’t eaten anything since this morning before the fight.” Shuu enthusiastically agreed. When Touma suggested the food court was closer than the shop, they all agreed. 

Inside the food court, Shuu pointed out a Pho King Good stand and insisted everyone should try it. They watched the Masho relax, able to recognize this type of food, even if it wasn’t quite what they knew. They all ordered the same, obviously done with new experiences for the day.

When Touma ordered the Korean espresso, Shuu quickly ordered a bubble tea. “‘Kay, Kay, come here, you’ve gotta try this!” He handed her the drink, “Now, suck up through the straw, gently now, and get the bubbles!” 

Kayura took the drink, “It is going to hurt my head again?”

“What?” Shuu asked while Touma burst out laughing. “No, no, it’s not that cold.”

“Okay,” She said warily before sucking on the straw. The others watched as a black mass moved up the straw and the surprise when it hit Kayura’s mouth. The giggles were worth the wait. 

Shuu started laughing, “Now, you gotta try this!” He began to show her how to catch the bubble and get ready to shoot when both Seiji and Shin firmly told them no.

As they settled down, Touma looked over to Kayura, “You look really cute in those scrubs.” 

Kayura blushed, “Thank you, Touma-san,” She mumbled. Shuu giggled next to her, especially when he caught the calculated look coming from Rajura. Shin, Ryo, and Seiji just shook their heads. 

“So,” Touma started, oblivious to what the others were chuckling at, “Suiko is ‘up’ and one of the easiest ones to get. We just gotta figure out how to get up there.” He theorized. “Yami is on the train, but we have no idea where the train is or what we have to fight to get there. You know, we forgot to ask Hibiscus about other people’s powers.”

“We can send Shin in to flirt with her again.” Shuu snickered.

“Flirt?” Touma asked. He didn’t get why others started laughing. 

“Anyway,” Shin got everyone’s attention tapping the table. “Maybe we should take another look at the job board. Maybe the research lab?” Touma perked up at this. 

“Maybe Suiko is just higher up in the building,” Naaza said aloud, catching everyone’s attention. 

Touma agreed, “Or maybe the roof? Gods, I really want to get into that lab. Maybe if we do a job for them, they’ll let us in?” He asked Naaza directly but only received a curious stare back.

“I really want to figure out the train,” Nasuti said. “I think it’s going to be a big key. Does it travel through time or every half hour? Maybe we need to ask around more.”

“We’re heading off to the Spider Sisters,” Shuu added. “I really need new pants!”

Kayura looked down into Shuu’s lap and poked the stretchy material, “What is that?” 

Shuu actually jumped a little at the poke so close to his (um), through the massive tear in his pants. “That’s a pineapple.” He covered his lap, blushing slightly.

“Why do you wear a pineapple under your pants?” 

Blushing deeper and praying this ends quickly, he looked over to Rajura for help. But, the other man was picking at his dinner. The barely suppressed smirk told Shuu he knew acutely what was going on and wasn’t going to help. “The picture is a pineapple. The shorts are to um, well… they’re stretch underclothes, you know, keep my stuff in check.” He prayed harder; she would just accept the answer.

“Does it get unruly?”

Oh, no… And no one else was helping; they were laughing, every single one of them! He looked pleadingly at Shin, who finally took pity on him. “It helps keep him hygienic.” He answered definitively. 

“Can we please go?” He begged. 

“Yes, let’s,” Rajura said. “That’s enough questions, Lady Kayura.” She pouted but stayed quiet.

It was still raining when they left, but the shop was closed. After Rajura rang the bell, Saori answered, “Ah, you’re back. The pants are ready; how did everything go?”

“Quite successful,” Rajura answered. Shuu waved the tatters of his pantleg behind him.

“Oh, my,” Saori said, fanning herself. 

“No one died,” Shuu added unhelpfully.

Saori laughed, “Your pants died.” 

“We have a changing room in the back,” Kasane said around Saori, “do you want me to pick you up and carry you?” She said with a smirk.

“Can I walk?” Shuu asked, and Kasane nodded, “Show me the way!”

“So,” Kasane peered at Shuu deeply, “What kind of pants do you want? We learned how to make kilts if you want one of those skirt-like things, Scottish, I think.”

“As cool as that sounds,” Shuu tried to be kind, “I like to be a bit more rough and tumble, I’m afraid I’m gonna Marylyn Monroe that shit and this show ain’t free.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Kasane answered.

“I’m not comfortable with the risk of other people seeing my bits.”

Laughing, Kasane asked, “Your bits?”

“I’m not comfortable with people seeing my pineapples and dragon!” To which Kasane just laughed harder.

Saori looked up from where she was helping Ryo with his pants, “What are you doing to my sister?”

Even Rajura was laughing at the antics. Kayura called back innocently, “It keeps him hygienic, so whatever he needs to keep hygienic!”

They heard Shuu cry, “I wanna die!” as everyone laughed harder. Anubisu whispered something in Kayura’s ear, and it took a moment before it clicked for her, and she buried her face in her hands. 

“Please!” Shuu cried out, “Please any pants that will survive me being me. You know, rough.”

Still snickering, Saori tossed a pair of pants to Kasane, “Try this on. We can add more reinforcement to thighs.”

“I’d be eternally grateful,” He answered.

As Ryo was finished up, sporting his new cargo-like pants proudly, Rajura approached, “Saori-san, would you be able to repair my kimono?” 

“Sure, we can get you in the back and get that off you,” She said flirtatiously, guiding him to the back. 

Kayura tugged Nasuti over to one of the dresses after Rajura disappeared in the back, “This is pretty!” A cute Lolita-style dress with lace and embroidery flowed over the pink dress.

Nasuti agreed, “That will look so cute on you. And we do need to get you something else to wear.”

She nodded and ran up to Anubisu, giving him puppy eyes, “Please, I really want that dress. Even Nasuti agrees. Please?” 

“It will look cute on her,” Shuten interjected.

Anubisu sighed, “I agree. But, you need to ask Rajura.” 

Hearing this, Kasane came over with a blouse and took the dress, “Come here, sweetie. We’ll get this on you.”

Rajura came out, in a fluffy pink robe, seeing the dress and Kayura, “What is that?”

“Relax,” Anubisu said to him, “Let the girls dress her.”

Shuten agreed, “It would be good that she becomes familiar with modern dress if she ever has to deal with matters in the Ningenkai. It will be a good learning experience for her.”

Scowling and muttering under his breath, he said to both of them, “Fuck off.” 

Saori came out with a bag, giving it to Rajura, along with his kimono. “We had some extra time, so we made you some butt paper.” 

Rajura looked in the bag and saw a pile of all white, almost towel-like cloth rolled up. “Thank you,” He said, and several others echoed him. 

After a few minutes, Kayura bounced out of the back, dressed in the cute Lolita dress with a high collar blouse underneath. “What do you think, Anubisu-onii-san?” She twirled around, completely beaming. 

Watching Rajura glare, looking ready to kill. Anubisu was torn between agreeing with him and knowing she was so happy. “I’m happy with it if you are.” He finally said, and Rajura’s glare turned on him. 

Kayura twirled again, “I feel so pretty in this!” She bounced away to show the others. She blushed when Touma agreed she looked cute.

“So, what do we owe you?” Shuu asked, “I’ll pay in advance if you need.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Kasane said, “We really want to help you since you helped with the oni problem. We’ve even had a new order just because people know we made peace with him.”

Nasuti then looked up at them to ask, “Saori-san, Kasane-san, do you know anything about the train?”

They looked at each other. “We don’t know much. Wendi came on the train, he stowed away on it.” Kasane said.

“Yes,” Saori added, “He said it changed through the tunnel. We know he was running from something, but that was a long time ago.”

“We haven’t heard of the train since then.”

“The dokkaebi said something has taken residence in the tunnel, and the train hasn’t been by because of that,” Saori finished. “We wouldn’t take the train anyway. I don’t think we’d fit.”

“Do you know of anyone else who manifested new powers since they’ve been here?” Shin asked. “Hibiscus-san helped show me some, but we’re wondering if there was anyone else.”

“No,” Saori said, shaking her head. 

“We haven’t heard of anyone else,” Kasane added. “But, we hope you find someone.”

“Oh, thank you,” Shin said, “We’ll be going to the bathhouse now.”

“We hope you come back soon,” Saori waved them off. “We can outfit the rest of you.”

They turned and started filtering out the door. Rajura was one of the last to leave, and he heard Kasane muttered, “But only if you tell the truth.” And then a smack was heard. He knew the younger Spider Sister was still mad about that.


	19. Chapter 19

It didn’t take long before they started smelling the scent of soap and perfume. Outside an old laundromat, the group knocked at a door that had image of baths and soaps on it. A curvy, naked dryad opened the door, welcoming them all with a wave, “Welcome, hon, here for a bath?”

“Oh, yes, please,” Shuu answered, tearing his gaze away from the naked dryad more so because, well, naked. “Oh, gods, boobs just didn’t do it anymore!” Although he noticed several other eyes were following the dryad.

“Wonderful! I’m Anemone. It’s five per person. We have plenty of soap and shampoo, so, hop on in.” She waved to the center of the floor, where a large stone basin sunk into the ground, steam wafting from the water. The whole inside of the shop was done naturally, wood and plants everywhere. 

As Rajura took the purse out again to pay, Shuu asked, “Can something be done about our clothes? I really don’t want to put back on these gruddy things.”

Anemone called to the back, “Aster, we need to do some laundry.”

Another tall, voluptuous dryad came out of the back, “Get out of those clothes, and I’ll take care of them.”

Shin, already turning red, whispered to Nasuti, “I’m really not comfortable seeing you, you know.” He watched the Masho start to disrobe. He realized this was much more familiar to them than the small bathrooms back at the apartment.

“You boys go first. Kayura and I are mostly clean, so we can wait.” Nasuti said. “It’s okay.” She then took Kayura outside to wait. 

Shuu took a deep breath, “I’m gross and funky, but, I can’t do another night like this, I’m going in.” He told himself, stripping off the super tight shirt (Anemone helped when he got stuck). Down to his boxers, he said, “Come on, Shin, I’ll make sure no one gets all touchy-feely up in your grill.”

Shin smiled at him, “I’m not worried, are you?” He teased, seeing how hard Shuu was trying to cover up.

“I don’t like people seeing my dragon.”

Aster was suddenly whispering in his ear, “You have no idea how many we’ve seen. We’ve seen oni, doll. It’s okay.” The quick pat on his read causing Shuu to jump. Touma, Seiji, and Ryo just laugh as they finished disrobing. 

By the time Shuu finished, not only was he last to get in, but nearly everyone watched him. Rajura shook his head, pushing himself over to Anubisu. “You look like you’re falling asleep.”

“It’s warm. I haven’t felt warm since the armor was stolen.” Anubisu answered. 

Then, they were all distracted by Shuu slipping and falling in. 

The dryads walked around, tidying up and cleaning clothes as the Troopers bathed. One of them came up to them and asked, “We talked to our sister Hibiscus and she said she trained one of you to shift into animals.”

“That was me,” Shin replied. 

Shuu asked, “Can you give the rest of us some hints at what this magic stuff can do?”

Aster giggled, then wiggled her fingers. Shuu floated up out of the water, in full naked glory, much to the delight of the sisters. In their giggling, they said, “Nice and thick,” and, “So strong.”

“I know a thing or two about magic,” Aster winked at Shuu as she lowered him back down.

Sinking low, Shuu muttered, “You could have lifted any ANY of the others.”

“But I like you!” She said as Anemone muttered, ‘’thick boys.”

“Good Ladies,” Rajura came to the rescue of Shuu, “Do you know when the train runs?”

“No,” Aster said, “We don’t know anything about the train.”

Anemone nodded, “We heard about the train a long time ago. The dokkaebi sometimes pile in the bath, and I mean pile in. They mentioned the train hasn’t been running for some time and something is in the tunnels.”

Nodding, Shuten said aloud, “We’ll definitely have to do something about that.”

“What else can you do?” Shin inquired. 

Suddenly, Anemone transformed into Anubisu, fortunately for Shuu fully clothed. She stretched her new body before pulling the kimono top out and looking down. “Wow,” she said as she reached in and squeezed the pectoral muscles.

The rest of the group laughed hysterically, while Anubisu looked shocked. “Nothing to add?” Rajura teased as Anubisu tried to say something, yet nothing came out.

Shuten gently cleared his throat before the exploration became lower or more exposed. “We were told you have three sisters, and it’s been lovely to meet the two of you ladies, but where is your third, other than Hibiscus?”

“You mean Columbine?” Aster asked, to which Shuten nodded, “She’s skulking around somewhere, we don’t know where she goes. She comes and goes as she pleases. You know, sometimes she disappears completely.”

“Is that one of her talents?” Shuten continued. 

“That was a new one. We didn’t know she could do that until we came here.” Anemone continued, still feeling up her new body.

“We’ve had similar things happen to us,” Shuten said. “is it the same with you two? And they are new things you can do?”

“Oh, yes, we definitely didn’t know we could turn into anything else. We couldn’t turn into such manly creatures,” She answered as she squeezed her new chest again. 

Shrieking loud, Aster screamed, “Columbine! What the hell!” A new, lithe figure suddenly appeared, sticking her tongue out at the two others.

Anemone turned back into herself, laughing. “I think I’ll get your clothes now.” She said as she disappeared into the back room.

With the boys having washed themselves and with their clothing being taken care of by nude dryads, Nasuti sighed deeply and sank into the warm water. This was the first proper bath she’d had since this all started. Their circumstances starkly reminded her of Arago’s attack on Japan. She could still hear the screaming of people herded into dead ends by Youjakai soldiers, and she could smell the burning of fuel oil from destroyed cars. Jun’s quiet weeping into Byakuen’s fur as they huddled together for warmth would be forever etched into her soul.

“---Yagyu-san?”

Oh! Blinking, Nasuti shook her head, freeing herself of those horrid memories for the time being. “Sorry, Kayura. I guess I was lost in thought.”

Kayura looked so young there in the bath, rubbing suds into her long locks. Without Rajura around to correct her, she seemed less tense, all things considered. “I have to say, these bath cosmetics are wonderful. I’d like to bring some home to the Youjakai someday. I don’t think Rajura-san would complain too much if I brought some for him as well. He dislikes mixing with modernity.”

The older woman chuckled. “I kind of figured. Umm… Kayura?”

“Yes, Yagyu-san?”

“...you can just call me Nasuti. I don’t mind. You don’t have to be so formal. But I was hoping to ask you a question, if you don’t mind. And can you pass that pot? That’s the shampoo.”

Kayura blinked, sweeping locks from her face and gathering up the pot. She handled it as if it were made of gold. It was almost endearing to see how gingerly the young priestess treated things. She came from a world where items were cherished and not so easily replaced. “Of course, Yag---err… Nasuti-san. You can ask me anything.”

Scooping up some of the gooey, lilac-scented liquid, Nasuti started rubbing it into her scalp. She would have been so embarrassed to get dandruff or start smelling like a man’s college dorm room. “Shuten… made mention that you didn’t… have much of a childhood. That you missed out on a great deal of things. I’m hoping, maybe after we solve this problem, that… maybe I could take you shopping or something?”

Kayura tilted her head, watching Nasuti for a few moments before taking up a bucket to rinse the shampoo from her hair. The lovely scent it left behind made her adamant to secure some of this shampoo for herself, even if Rajura protested. “I cannot deny that… I have very little memory before this point. I remember… I had parents, and I lived in a village before Arago came and--” slaughtered everyone “---took me away. I remember waking up to see Shuten dying…”

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Kayura, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright, Nasuti-san. I’m… incredibly thankful Shuten has been restored to us, both physically and spiritually. I blame myself for not detecting the spirit having attached itself to him when crossing back into the land of the living.” 

The young priestess, the world on her shoulders, slumped against the wall of the bathing pool. Rajura would say it was unladylike, but he wasn’t here. She smiled quietly. “I will do everything I can to ensure that our return is expedited. I sincerely hope the Masho do not part ways… I know they were not anywhere near friends, but… I worry about them. I worry they will butt heads and be irrevocably distanced from one another.”

Nasuti slid over to the young girl and placed a warm hand on her small shoulder. “Kayura, it’s not your responsibility to keep them together. You’ve got enough to worry about.” Taking up another pot, the consistency of the liquid within made Nasuti believe it was conditioner. She hoped the dryads also had hair brushes for use. “They’re adults. They can make their own decisions and face those decisions’ consequences--”

Kayura’s response came at a surprise. Her shoulders shook - she was weeping. Her voice was quiet and fragile, so unlike the evil arrogance Arago had poisoned her with. “Nasuti-san, they’re the only family I have. I care about them, all of them. If they were to leave--”

“Then, I’ll have to pull out my woman in charge voice and make sure they don’t. We’re safer in numbers anyway. Surely they’d understand that.”

With a sniff, Kayura wiped her eyes. 

“I sincerely hope so, Nasuti-san.”

~~~

Touma ran a hand through his now clean hair, "I really want to get into that research facility. The quest was to bring them a Raiju, right?" If his memory served right, they wanted to somehow bring electricity to the city with the creature.

Remembering what this creature was from a book and from a few video games, he cringed a bit, "They're lightning spirits that take animal forms." He looked at Shin, "So, um, maybe let's not use water when we go hunting for one?"

"Got it." Shin answered.

Seiji folded his arms and gave Touma a level look. “I don’t know if I have any affinity for lightning right now but we’re going to find out. I’m going with you. I’m not going to let you wander around a strange science lab unescorted. We’d never see you again.”

Touma slapped a hand over his heart, giving Seiji a mock offended look. And Seiji just rolled his eyes.

Later, as they returned to the apartments, “If these scientists invite Touma to help them, we’re probably going to have to physically drag him out of the lab,” Seiji commented with a sigh.

Anubisu nodded, "Naaza, too."

“And it’ll all just get worse if Touma discovers new abilities. He’ll pick and pick and pick at them endlessly, somehow also expecting us to follow every twist in his train of thought.”

Making a noncommittal noise, Anubisu asked, "And of your new abilities, how are you handling them? Just what are they, besides banishing demons?" He tried, but couldn't keep the disdain out of his voice at mentioning the possession.

“Some sort of heightened sense for the presence of true good and evil. I think... there may be more, but I’m not sure what the particulars are. I’m honestly a bit envious of Shin for having found a teacher.”

"I'm curious what you think of us. What do you sense from those of us that followed Arago?" He immediately regretted asking, not wanting to know the answer. "You don't have to answer that. We were discussing Tenku and Naaza."

Seiji tilted his head thoughtfully, reaching out to his new senses. “I can vaguely sense the ujigami, I think, and possibly other beings around. You and the Masho are the same as the Ronin - you simply are as you are: human.”

"Perhaps it would be good enough to share that with Naaza later." Anubisu wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that was all Seiji could sense. "What do you suggest about getting Tenku and Naaza out of the lab once they learned what we need to know?"

“The scientists may be firm about asking us to leave. If they’re more permissive, though, we’ll just have to ramp up from ‘Polite Suggestion’ to ‘Throw the idiots over our shoulders and carrying them out.’”

"Our shoulders?"

“We might be able to drag them out but throwing someone over your shoulder gives you more control over their limbs.”

"I understand what throwing somebody over your shoulders does, Korin," Anubisu snapped. "I meant how did I get roped into this?"

Seiji snorted. “I can handle Touma, but not both Touma and Naaza. It seemed highly unlikely Rajura would want to leave Lady Kayura alone again so late in the day and I’m honestly not certain Shuten could be as quick and efficient in applying brute force if it becomes necessary.” Seiji cast a quick look at Anubisu. “Just through the door alone, it’s pretty clear there’s something approaching a modern research lab there. Touma’s challenging enough on his own to manage around new things like this. We’ve had to forcibly remove him from places before after he got completely sucked into the research being done. Naaza seems similar, so it makes sense to go in there with a contingency plan.”

"The Shuten of old would be quite happy to apply brute force. And Naaza would lose himself in his work, if we allowed it." Anubisu sighed. "I take it this is your way of wanting me to come with you?"

“If you are willing, yes.”

"'Willing' is such a subjective word."

Seiji smirked.

Throwing a half-hearted glare towards Seiji, Anubisu said, "I will take payments out of your hide for this at a time when our survival is not dependent on working together." His tone fairly dripped with sarcasm.


	20. Chapter 20

In the lobby of the black building stood Touma, Naaza, Seiji, and Anubisu. In front of them was the front desk, several cool-colored ujigami floating above it. 

“Hello again! How are you?” One of the ujigami asked.

“We’d like to visit the Raiju Research and Acquisition Dept to get some details on the job they posted,” Seiji said, gesturing towards the jobs board.

“Hmm? I bet Nagendra would be happy to hear that.”

“Yeah! We don't know if he'll let anyone in the lab, though.”

“But if they're helping, they should at least see what they're looking for, right?”

“Yeah, that does make sense.” One ujigami floated quietly for a moment, as if contemplating.

“Can I go with you?” asked the blue ujigami. Its flame looked reminiscent of the Tenku armor. “Nagendra's lab is on the second floor, just up the stairs.”

Touma practically bounced on his heels with excitement. His head turned to the little ujigami, "Sure, why not?"

While not being as outwardly excitable as the blue-haired Tenku, Naaza had his own eagerness showing, a little hum-drum smile on his face. It was the same look he had whenever he was fully immersed in whatever project had his attention at the time.

“Okay, let's go!” The little blue flame floated down from the front desk and started floating towards the familiar stairwell. “Thank you for trying to help Nagendra. We think his research will help a lot more people around the city!”

The little flame floated up each step, as if walking, keeping pace with Touma at the front. “Nagendra doesn't let anyone in the lab, but since you're going to help with the raiju, maybe he'll make an exception?”

Stopped at the second-floor door, which was emblazoned with AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY in various languages including Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Spanish and English, the ujigami addressed the group.

“Should I go in first? That might make Nagendra happier than if you banged on the door.”

"Agreed. Uninvited guests during critical research always grates on me; I can't imagine it would be any different for Nagendra," Naaza stated matter-of-factly. Perhaps the snake had SOME concept of social norms after all.

Touma gave a nod.

“Okie dokie! Wait here, please!”

Without any pomp or circumstance, the ujigami phased through the doors without any trouble whatsoever.

Touma leans in to listen, but not too much. Naaza opens his mouth to say something, but if Seiji or Anubisu didn’t admonish Tenku, he too, would try to listen in.

Touma heard the conversation:

“Hello, Diya! There are some people here who would like to help with the raiju. Can they come in?”

“Child, you know Nagendra's rules. “

“Yes, but how are they going to help find the raiju if they don't know what they look like?”

Touma knocked on the door three times while turning on his phone, hoping the chime of it coming to life sparks interest.

Soon enough, the ujigami phased back through the door. The door clicked and the knob turned. Revealed on the other side was a half-man, half-snake creature wearing a white lab coat. 

His scales were a rich brown punctuated by thin white bands and his hair was the same rich brown pulled back into a ponytail. His human skin was tanned and his features were very sharp and angular.

Reared up as he was, the group could estimate his height at around six-and-a-half feet high.

“Diya, these are the people who want to help with the raiju.”

Diya glanced quickly between the humans standing before him, but lingered on Naaza for a moment longer. The naga’s eyes were slitted, as one might expect. “...yes, hello. You’re volunteering?”

"We're intrigued, and we have the skill to assist," Naaza semi-corrected. "But we'd like a little more information on just what we're hunting and how to catch it. We aren't really...equipped for handling a beast made of pure lightning." He frowned. How he missed his armor.

"I know the raiju is a creature made from lightning, and that it can look like a number of different animals. I'm sure you want a way to harness its lightning power to help bring electricity to the city." Touma motioned to Nazza, "Like he said, we'd like a little more information on the job. Maybe you know a place they like to gather or something?"

“You are correct.” The naga’s countenance never changed from neutrality. “Raiju are dangerous and difficult to handle without precautionary measures.” Looking back over his shoulder, Diya seemed to be weighing his options. The group noticed behind him running lights and heard the hum of machinery. “Nagendra would rather have more raiju, even if it meant having others in his lab. Follow me.”

The naga moved with surprising grace and speed, his long tail trailing behind him. The floor on which the naga worked was similar to the Oracle’s floor - a large office floor repurposed. The windows were all covered and strange black machines the size of washers and dryers lined the far wall. Tables filled with paperwork were nearby. Other naga were present and paid no attention to the guests.

“Don’t touch anything.” Diya added dryly.

Naaza suddenly found himself wishing he had pockets. The temptation to examine everything in the room he could get his hands on was excruciating. Instead, he kept his hands balled into fists; now was not the time to test the limits of their host's hospitality. At the very least, the science snake let his eyes ravish the room's contents.

Seiji and Anubisu fell back behind Touma and Naaza, content to let them take the lead. They all looked carefully around them, looking for anything familiar or anything that might give him clues about what’s going on in this lab.

Touma took note of everything he could see. It had been days since he had been around functioning tech. He didn't care if he looked like 'a kid in a candy store' as Shuu and Seiji had called him many times. He looked back at Seiji, briefly, beaming.

“Nagendra keeps us very busy.” Diya explained. He rounded a corner into another section of the floor. This section had huge cages, floor to ceiling, and the nagas working near it were wearing long rubber gloves. Another row of strange black machines buzzed and lit up along the other wall. “We only have two raiju in our possession. More are needed to power larger areas, obviously.”

Diya slithered you to one naga in particular, who was writing something down on a clipboard while staring at one of the machines. From the machine rose a bright blue ring, about the size of a hula hoop. Inside the ring was a topographical map.

Diya spoke in Hindi to this other naga. ”A few humans and another have arrived. They would like to secure more raiju.”

”...I see.”

The ujigami trailed behind the group, floating along slowly. It paused on Touma’s shoulder. “Neat, isn’t it? I dunno what all this stuff does.”

Naaza shifted his stance uncomfortably as he listened in, keeping his gaze off the speakers. If being around Rajura had taught him anything, it was not to give away any advantages you might have. Being able to speak Hindi and eavesdrop could certainly come in handy.

Touma looked at his new little blue friend, nodded, and said in a low voice, "I'm not sure what it all does either, but it's very exciting."

”If they can secure additional specimens, then I would be happy to pay for them.”

“We would need additional holding pens, Nagendra, sir. Maybe even another floor for another lab.”

“There are plenty of additional floors, Diya. We’ll take up as many as needed.”

“...we’ll need more machines, as well. But without the train—“

“I’m well aware. We’ll make due.”

Turning around, the naga known as Nagendra approached the group. He wore the same white lab coat as the others and, as Hibiscus had described, bore a resemblance to Naaza - the same green hair tied into a bun and the same skin tone. His snake body was dark with lighter bands and there were small ridges on Nagendra’s neck that Diya did not possess.

Nagendra spoke Japanese to the group. “I am Nagendra. This is my lab. My assistant Diya tells me you are offering your services in raiju acquisition. This would be most advantageous to our research.”

He turned to the two holding pens, each containing one animal. “These are but some of the forms raiju may take.” 

One pen held a tiger, somewhat smaller than Byakuen. Its fur was a brilliant electric blue and its stripes were bright yellow. The other held a large boar, also with the same coloration.

“As you can see, the outward form may change but the coat colors are consistent. From our calculations, one raiju may conduct enough electricity to power a single city block, give or take.” The work going on around the group never wavered - the naga seemed absolutely engrossed in their work.

“I can provide you with some protective equipment in the form of rubber gloves, but—“ The naga looked down at the group’s legs. “—you’ll have to help yourselves with regards to boots. As you can imagine, we have no need for footwear.”

Adjusting his lab coat, Nagendra continued. “Some signs that a raiju is nearby are flickering electronics or other technology like lightbulbs and an ozone smell. They’re not nearly as dangerous when unconscious. They’re useless when dead. Any questions?”

"Do they travel in groups or are they more solitary? Will something electric that already works attract them?" Touma asked.

“Raiju are solitary creatures. They seem to be attracted to working electrical technology in some capacity. They also seem to like large pools of this oily rain.”

"Working technology seems to be quite rare here. We're still getting our bearings in this town; are there any places you would recommend we search first?"

“Quiet, abandoned places. There is an old public pool a few blocks north. It might be a good starting point.”

Diya butted in apologetically. “By the way, please don’t drink the rain.”

Nagendra nodded in agreement. “Yes, it seems to have a rather unpleasant adverse effect in humans. For us, it’s a minor inconvenience. It’s quite poisonous.”

Touma looked at Nazza, then back at the naga, "Noted."

Naaza tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully, "H-uh." Then he shrugged, mostly to himself, and let the topic drop.

"Maybe after we help you get a raiju, we can ask you a few more questions about this oil rain? We're new here and did a minor experiment with it."

The word experiment seemed to brighten the eyes of the two naga, who honed in on Touma. “Really? Explain... please. You give your data, we will give ours.”

"We noticed when set on fire, it turns to a fine dust and smells like lavender..."

Nagendra nodded. “Yes, and when electrified, it turns to tar. Fascinating substance, isn’t it?”

Diya seemed to be searching for a fresh piece of paper on which to write. “When ingested by humans, they suffer very vivid nightmares and other symptoms including profuse sweating, increased heart rate and vomiting.”

“Does the dust do anything when consumed or used in some other process?” Seiji asked.

Naaza shifted his weight again. His normal eagerness for experimentation and general scientific discussion had waned significantly and he was looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Anubisu caught the shift, but didn’t say anything yet.

“The dust itself seems to be an inert version of the rain, as far as our data has shown.” Nagendra explained. “Although more experimentation is necessary to provide conclusive evidence. The dust does not respond to any of our tests.”

"So, it just comes down like rain but provides nothing like sustenance rain can? And is there any idea the cause of the oil rain or is it just a native thing to this realm?" He gave a shrug, "A few friends we've made since coming here think the rain could be connected to the giant mass is the clouds?"

“Touma, didn’t the dust remind you of something you read about before?” Seiji suggested.

"Yeah, something about it being slippery like dreams and smelling like them."

“Slippery like a dream? Metaphor.” Nagendra seemed to have a distaste for the word. “That would explain an odd finding we had when analyzing the chemical composition of the rain. It’s salty, in addition to its other properties.”

One naga turned to the other and Diya continued, “As you may know, the composition of tears changes depending on circumstance. From our analysis, this rain appears to be sorrowful tears.”

That caught Naaza's attention, raising his hairless eyebrow, still conflicted between his discomfort and curiosity. "Sorrowful tears? Like from a creature?" He turned to Touma. "That would certainly explain the looming shadow you saw."

“That’s what we’ve extrapolated - these tears must come from somewhere, and there have been numerous accounts of sightings of a large shadow in the sky.” Nagendra answered, meeting Naaza’s gaze and holding it. 

Touma nodded, "We need to find a way to get up there." 1) For science! 2) And more importantly, that's likely where Shin's armor was if the Oracle was to be believed.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have mountains of work to attend to. Diya will show you out.” With that, Nagendra turned around and slithered back to the machine he was observing previously. 

“This way, please.” Diya moves past the group and back towards the door. None of the other naga looked up from their work.

The ujigami seemed content to flicker on Touma’s shoulder. “If there’s something big up there and it’s crying, maybe we can cheer it up?”

There was a twinge of relief that quickly passed over Naaza's features as they were escorted out. This time his gaze was focused more on the naga than the machines, but none of them looked up from what they were doing.

“Do you have any of those insulated gloves we could borrow? And any tips for transporting it?” Seiji asked as they were herded towards the door.

“Yes, I’ll give you four pairs.” The naga slithered off the path to the door to stop at a large cabinet on the wall. Opening it, Diya retrieved four pairs of thick rubber gloves that were so long, they may have reached the shoulders of humans. “Here, use these. Please remember to return the raiju alive and preferably unconscious.”

Taking one pair of gloves, Anubisu asked, "Thank you Diya-san. I do have a question: You said the raiju can power about one city block, and I assume you will want many of these to help power the whole city, how long does each one last? And what happens after it's usefulness is over?"

“We have yet to determine their limitations.” Diya answered matter-of-factly. “As far as we can tell, they are elemental spirits taking the physical form of animals. We’ve had one for quite a long time, you see, and it has not waned in its power-producing capabilities as of yet.”

"Thank you, Diya-san," He bowed, giving a tight smile.

Diya waited at the door for everyone to pass through safely. “Good luck and thank you.”

"Thank you for allowing us in and giving us this information." Touma smiled and bowed.

Naaza was the first out the door, though he did wait for the others to leave and he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding once he reached the threshold.

Without another word, Diya nodded to the group and closed the door to the lab.

The ujigami was chattering happily on Touma’s shoulder. “They brought all those machines with them, but we don’t know what they do. The naga keep to themselves. ...Do you think we should throw a party for the thing in the sky? Parties make people happy!”

"Do whatever you'd like, if you can even get up there," Naaza commented snarkily before quickly retreating back to the apartment ahead of the others.

The ujigami stopped short of the door and floated back to the front desk. “Goodbye! Be safe! Come back soon!”

"Bye little blue," Touma smiled. He liked that ujigami. He looked at Anubisu then Seiji, "if we asked, would he tell us what's wrong?"

“I doubt it,” Seiji commented, falling back behind Touma as they began descending the stairs of the Black Building. “He’s never struck me as one to share his feelings.” 

"Maybe Kayura can get it out of him?" Touma suggested.

Down below, they heard the click of the door to the stairwell and knew Naaza had already vanished into the lobby. “I don’t want to pry into personal matters, but we need to be ready if something’s going to affect our relations with the different beings of this world,” he said as softly as he could to Anubisu. “We need allies, not enemies. Do you know anything about what’s going on with Naaza?”

"I can guess. And I'm sure you can, as well," Anubisu answered, changing the subject. "Tenku-san seemed to get along with them well enough."

“We’re lucky he didn’t beg to stay,” Seiji said. “He probably would have if it wasn’t for Naaza’s obvious discomfort. Do you think the Naga were, well, relations?”

How to answer that? "I don't know." Anubisu shook his head. "How much of rumor, truth, or manipulation makes us? We've been changed by the armor after all this time. It's not exactly something we think about." He was as worried by what he saw in there as he was about his comrade. "We were never close, any of us. Weaknesses were to be exploited and anything that made us different was a weakness. It's been... difficult to change several centuries’ worth of habit."

“That’s an unpleasant thought. I can understand why you’ve shied away from it.”

"I'll talk with him. Perhaps you can give us the time?" Anubisu asked. "Perhaps get Tenku to talk about his ideas.”

Seiji nodded. “A crowd definitely would make things worse. I’ll share what happened in the lab with everyone and suggest to Touma he find time to speak with Naaza about the lab. Fortunately, I imagine he already wants to do so. None of the rest of us are so happy digging deep into those sorts of topics.”

"That will be good." Anubisu said as they got back. "And if he kills me, it was nice knowing you these two days."

While the three of them continued their discussion of Naaza, the man in question, was already long gone, disappearing inside the apartment and ignoring any greetings from the others to lock himself into one of the bathrooms.

Jun the ujigami was alarmed by Naaza’s emotional turmoil and floated after the man, passing through the locked bathroom door in an attempt to comfort him. “Hi, it’s me... you’re very upset. Can I hug you? Maybe it’ll make you feel better?”

Naaza growled, trying to bat the little glowy orb away with an arm. "No! Get out!"

“B-but, I just want to hel—ACK!”

While Naaza’s arm would phase through the ghostly flame, the ujigami took the hint and skittered back through the door, flying over to Seiji.

“Oh no, he’s very mad…”

Seiji instinctively made to catch the small spirit, cupping his hands around the ujigami. “Some hurts can’t be mended right away,” he said soothingly. “We’ll see if we can help Naaza. Thank you for trying.”

Anubisu sighed. "Let me try to talk to him." 

Touma turned to the ujigami, "Hey Jun? I have a question."

“Oh, hello!” said the little flame, floating near Touma. “Did you have a good bath?”

"Hell yes." He needed that bath. Touma actually liked to be clean. "I got a question for you. What are the tallest buildings around here? Preferably ones I can get to the top of."

“Tallest buildings?” The little flame dimmed slightly, as if deep in thought. “Well, the only one I know about is the one I came from, where the others are! I mean, there are others here in this complex! The others at the black building just don't have a home to protect. That's our job!”

He nodded and thought, "Do you know if they sell things like binoculars at the market?"

“What’s a binoculars? Is that something the naga brought with them?”

"Ummm, no. They let you see a long ways off if you look through them." That was something he'd have to go looking for.

“Oh! Umm... I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

"It's okay. I can look and if I find any I'll show you."

“Okay! But why do you want to get on top of the building? The elevators don’t work because Nagendra said there’s not enough electricity. But the stairs still work, I think. It would be a long way up, though.”

"I want to get to the top of the building, to see if I can get a better look at the giant mass above the clouds."

“Ohh, the big thing? I remember the others talking about the big thing up there, but I didn’t see it. What’s the big thing, Touma-nii-san?”

"I wish I knew. I'm going to try and find out."

“Oh, okay. Please remember to come back and tell me about it!”

Touma smiled, he liked this kid. “If and when I find out, I'll tell you everything."

Anubisu went over to the door and knocked. "Naaza, let me in." And then, low, so others couldn't hear "if you let me in, it'll stop everyone else from trying to get you to talk. I promise, you don't have to say anything to me."

“Do you think he needs a sweet? I remember mommy would make sweets for us when we were sad. Maybe he needs a sweet to cheer him up.” The little flame’s light dimmed just a little, as if the Ujigami were deep in thought.

A sort of maniacal laughter came muffled through the door. "Can a man not get a few minutes of privacy in this place?! Is this the hell I've been banished to now?"

“We’ll leave you be,” Seiji said to Anubisu, then began herding the others towards one of the far bedrooms. “Let’s see if there’s anything else interesting in this mess,” he said in a louder voice

"Yes, it is," Anubisu replied quietly. "And now everyone knows that we’re supposed to be talking. If nothing happens, others will come. Suiko and Kongo seem eager to tag team you." He embellished a bit, but if it worked, he'd apologize.

"Oh for the love of-" The door flew open, revealing Naaza's furious look as he grabbed the other Masho by the front of his kimono and dragged him inside, slamming the door behind him.

"I am going to pretend that you are not here, and you are going to sit quietly in that large bathtub and not utter a peep," the man had a wild look to him, one that meant he was more than ready to strike if one were to get too close.

Anubisu shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, waiting. He picked at the scab from when he cut himself the day before, but didn't say a word. Part of him was amused by the way Naaza was reacting.

"No, in! I don't want to look at your damn smug face!!" If Anubisu didn't move quickly, Naaza would end up shoving him into the ceramic tub head first.

Anubisu swung one leg over the edge, straddling the wall of the bathtub. He looked down at his hands, making sure Naaza didn't see the smirk on his face.

"I SAID IN!!" One last shove, and the Masho would harshly grab the shower curtain, throwing it closed and nearly ripping it off the rod it was attached to. When he seemed satisfied that he could at least pretend to be alone, he moved back over to mirror in front of the sink and used his hands to hold up his weight as he stared at his reflection.

Anubisu winced as his shoulder hit the wall, then squirmed around until he could sit upright. He chose to sit quiet, just listening to Naaza talking to himself.

"You're being irrational...This is ridiculous, just calm down...The similarities mean nothing...Just a coincidence..." 

There was a pause, the sound of hands running through hair.

"Fuck."

Listening to the litany, Anubisu recognized some of his own thoughts over the years - was Naaza completely human? A long time ago he decided it didn't matter.

Then again, after Arago, were any of them really human any longer? 

The man was quiet, but Anubisu could hear that was breathing as he stood still. And then he heard footsteps and the curtain was yanked back open. That mad glint in his eye was still there, but he looked somewhat more calm.

"I want a place of my own. There's no telling how long we'll be stuck here, but obviously it will be longer than just a few more days. We could be stuck here for years and I have no desire to remain in such cramped quarters for the rest of our time here."

"I agree with you," Anubisu answered, looking up. "What makes you think we'll be here years? And am I really that disagreeable to you? Or is it someone else?"

Naaza narrowed his eyes at him. "Literally every being we've encountered has been here for centuries. We may have a way out, but that doesn't mean our exit will be a quick one." He paused, then offered him his hand to help him up. "You know me, at least slightly better than the rest. I value my space, and I am...unskilled with socialization."

Anubisu took the hand and stood up. "If it’s to be centuries here or centuries in our home, I still want you nearby. And you're better than Kongo. I don't know how Rajura hasn't cut his tongue out, yet." He said with a smirk.

That only earned him a look of confusion. "You do realize how difficult it is to cut the tongue out of someone who's squirming? Do you think we ought to offer him assistance in holding him down?"

"No," He shook his head, "That's one task I have yet to try - you know I prefer to just slit throats. It's faster." He waved to the door, "Are you ready to face everyone or do want some more time? We can stay a bit longer, but I'm not sitting in the tub again."

Naaza turned to stare at the door as he lowered his voice. "I imagine I've stirred up a fuss, haven't I?"

"You're not the only one," Anubisu answered knowingly. "You don't have to go out right now. I'll keep the Troopers away. Rajura and Shuten, too. This place seems to draw out a desire to share emotions."

The Masho visibly shuddered. "Let's just...get this over with." He unlocked the door, paused to take a breath, then opened it to walk out. He seemed a little surprised when he realized no one was in the common area, but also relieved.

"Hmm, I actually expected them to be waiting out here."

"As did I. I almost wish they were. It’s just prolonging the inevitable."

Anubisu waved to their room, "Chances are, Rajura and Shuten are there. Or do you want to speak to Tenku? I'm sure you could get him talking about whatever it was they were doing there. He's rather, um, oblivious."

"I don't want to speak to anyone. I'd much rather be getting my hands dirty doing anything else," he sighed. "I'll even do more cleaning, if that's what it takes."

"There's plenty of that." Anubisu answered. "Have at it, but... You are staying, right?"

Naaza furrowed his brow as he turned to the Yami Masho. "Why are you so concerned about that? It's not as though I have anywhere else I could go at the moment."

"Because we're not trying to kill each other. I actually care what happens to someone for once and that means I don't want you to go." He scowled. "And I hate this place because I can't seem to stop saying this stupid stuff."

He raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh...huh. Well, allow me to save you any further embarrassment by pretending that you didn't just say what I think you said. I'll be looking for other arrangements, but for now, I'll be here," Naaza sighed, moving off to find something to do. "Kami, what I wouldn't do for my lab right about now..."

Anubisu sighed and shook his head, "Fine. Go clean or putter or do whatever you need. I'll be in our room for now." He waved Naaza off and went to the room they all shared. 

He did feel bad that Naaza wanted to leave and that seeing the researchers set him so far off. But, Naaza never wanted help. And Anubisu knew from first-hand experience, that only gets a person so far. However, one can't be forced to open up.

~~

After closing the door, Seiji motioned everyone to sit down. “We learned several things in the lab and I think we have a lead on what we need to do next. But, Naaza wasn’t… well, he was bothered by some of the things from the lab. Anubisu is talking with him right now, so we’re going to stay here until they are done.” He eyed everyone.

Shuten and Rajura looked at each other, sharing a similar thought that those two didn’t make the best combination partners when emotions ran high. Kayura watched the silent communication with concern.

Touma nodded, oblivious, “So, Diya explained that the rain is poisonous to humans, so I don’t even know how Naaza is walking around. And he said it might be tears, but of what he didn’t know. There were so many instruments that did things I couldn’t even identify, and I’m sure I saw anti-gravity in a small, compact case, which may be a way we can get up to the clouds if Shin’s armor is there because I mean, it would also be like really flying without my armor and I would know what to do if it broke, but I couldn’t even imagine where I would keep the --”

“And the raiju?” Seiji cut in to keep Touma on track.

“Ya, they have two of them already, a boar and tiger kind of like Byakuen –“ the tiger perked up with a chirp. “No offense, buddy. And they can channel their power into electricity, which would be great if we could use that. Just thinking about the collection process, the cages would have to be hyper-conductive and possibly DC—”

Seiji cleared his throat.

“Ya, ya, so anyways, they want another one, which they said we could find behind the pool, and it could be a nice, steady income if they need more. Which I’m sure they will because one only covers one city block. And maybe if we do more for them, I’ll get in there and see more, so I’ll be able to figure out how they were levitating that disk—”

“They didn’t seem eager to explain much else,” Seiji finished. “But there is a lot of potential. They gave us some rubber gloves, which may be able to help.”

Kayura watched the display with fascination. “Touma-san, I didn’t get most of what you were saying. Can you explain it?”

“Oh, gods,” Shuu muttered, “We’ve lost Kayura.” He watched Touma go over to sit next to Kayura and started to explain, pausing to let her answer questions, which only egged him on. Shuu saw how rapt Kayura was and looked over to Rajura, whose only sign of displeasure watching the two was a crease between his brows. But, Shuu knew the big-bro energy was screaming!

“Of course,” Shuu mumbled, “Touma is entirely oblivious to the danger on two fronts.” 

Seiji continued to explain some more of the details to Nasuti and Shin, carefully avoiding the questions on Naaza’s discomfort. He suspected what was going on, but it wasn’t his place to say. 

It wasn’t much longer that they heard the door open. Shortly after, another door opened and closed. 

Rajura came out when he heard the door and watched with interest as he spotted Naaza and Anubisu exit the bathroom. He'd witnessed the snake's hurried retreat, but while he was curious, he'd learned early on not to press him when something rattled the younger Masho. 

So, when he saw Naaza heading off to the bedroom, Rajura caught Anubisu's attention and waved him over with a subtle gesture. There was always the indirect route of questioning to get the information he craved.

"I take it something happened at the lab? What's got him so riled up?"

Feeling a bit guilty for forcing Naaza into sharing, even though he really didn't, Anubisu joined Rajura, "What did Seiji and Tenku tell you?"

Rajura shrugged. "Just a summary of what was discussed. They were rambling about his theories on what some of the devices were. I couldn't understand even half of what he said."

"Nothing about who was in there?"

"Something about Naga. What of it?"

Anubisu nodded, "Yes, they all seemed to be naga. You do know what they are, right?"

"Yes, half man half snake." Rajura raised an eyebrow. "What? Does he think he's found his people or something?"

"I think that's exactly what he thinks." Anubisu nodded. "And he's very unhappy about it." He paused, "He wants to leave us, be on his own."

The Masho's remaining eye blinked in surprise, then muttered to himself as he ran his hand through his hair. "That was meant to be a joke..." He sighed. "Naaza has ever been the one to be happier having as little interaction with others as possible, so this comes as no surprise to me. Shuten? Care to weigh in on this?"

Shuten tapped his chin in thought. "I respect that he has a desire for space. I, too, understand the value of quiet reflection and meditation. However, in this circumstance, I don't know if 'giving him space' could quickly turn into negligence. A look at his face and his demeanor are enough to confirm he was probably not the most doted on or beloved child in his youth. Even if he's never talked about it much. Where should we draw the line between respect and abandonment?"

Rajura shifted his weight uncomfortably. "...I think you're asking the wrong people this sort of moral quandary. I'm not even sure how Naaza views us. Family? Friends? People who occupy the same living space, more like."

"I don't know. I don't think we should be abandoning him. And it isn't reflection or meditation that he wants space for; he wants to escape us. I understand that urge, even if I disagree with it." Anubisu replied. "I thought he and I were developing a friendship. But then, I've been misled by a lot of things lately," he finished, glaring at Shuten.

Shuten softened. "Do not be so hard on him." He said. "He is brilliant about medical science, but we all know that he has always had the emotional intelligence of a very well-read goat. It doesn't have to be SAID. We all KNOW what people have likely called him. We ourselves are guilty of it, early on. Freak. Reptile. Half-Man. If these are his people, not one of us would be surprised in the slightest. But looking at it from the other side of the window? It cannot be easy to have validation that those accusations may not just be run of the mill human cruelty."

"Anubisu, did you see exactly what may have disturbed him? He had to have had some inclination as to what he was walking into beforehand," Rajura paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Come to think of it, didn't that nymph mention someone in there looking similar to him?"

He shook his head. "Seiji said we are all human. I would like to believe him. For all our sake.” Anubisu insisted. “Arago messed with us, our armor messed with us. I want to believe we are in charge of our own lives, not some vessel of the armor."

Shuten shrugged. "I'm sure Naaza would very much like to believe with certainty that he is completely human. It may be why he is behaving this way. We really do at least need to assure him that no matter what the truth is, he is still one of us."

"How?"

Shuten held up his hands. "Unfortunately, I don't have all the answers. If only."

"So...what? We drag him in and tell him, 'Hey, Naaza, we don't care that you might be related to snake people, you're in good company here,' and hope for the best?" Rajura snapped.

"But, he's not related to snake people,” Anubisu insisted. “We're all we have left. Either we're four individual people who have nothing to do with each other, or we choose to band together. Frankly, I'm tired of fighting."

"Hard not to fight when that's all we've been doing over the last few centuries," Rajura noted casually.

"And are you content with that? Or do you want something more?"

The Gen Masho glanced away, brow furrowed in thought. "...Friends and family have never been a... strong interest of mine. However, I will admit that tutoring and advising Lady Kayura has given me a sense of- I don't know -pride? That I never quite felt while under Arago's thumb." His gaze flicked to Shuten. "Perhaps she is the key to all this. Yagyu-san brought those boys together more than once, did she not?"

Shuten pondered. "At the very least, I think she may be able to reach him in ways we cannot. I respect all of you. I want us to mend the relationship we had in the past. But I will be the first to acknowledge that we did not frequently have kind words for each other. But, Kayura has had the opportunity to have a relationship not muddied by years of in-fighting. I think maybe we should involve her in talking to Naaza about the fact that he is valuable to us as a person. Whether he is the result of love between a human and a ... yokai... or if he is a completely normal human who just happens to... look like that."

Anubisu glared at Shuten, "He is human, and we shouldn't use Kayura. That's what Arago did. We take responsibility and talk with him. We may not have what the Troopers have, but we don't have to be... alone." Anubisu said.

Rajura raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying she isn't one of us?"

Shuten glowered a bit, "I'm not suggesting that we not be present. I mean that the Lady should be included in this - that she can act as a bridge to better communication. That is what she is being trained for, Anubisu. If she is to lead the Youjakai, that is the role she will be filling on a large scale."

He rubbed his forehead, "I meant we shouldn't expect her to do this for us; we shouldn't force her to take care of it." Anubisu sighed, "You both are teaching Kayura, can she do this? She's been acting more like a child since we've got here."

"No one was-" Rajura bit back his tongue as he stopped himself. "Lady Kayura is enjoying an unprecedented amount of freedom here, that's true. But I believe she'd want to be involved. She's been very vocal about that. "

"The Lady does see caring about her people to not only be her duty but that it seems to be a duty she accepts gladly. I think she would be wounded if we infantilized her by excluding her. I understand that her doing these things makes you somewhat uncomfortable." He had remembered how upset Anubisu had been that Kayura wanted to use her question for the oracle to find his armor. She cared about Anubisu in the way a younger sister looked up to an elder brother. But that didn't seem to change how uncomfortable Anubisu seemed to be with receiving her affection. "She can do this. Women are malleable creatures, in my experience, Anubisu. In one moment, they can be cooing over something small and cute, the next moment they have flipped a switch and are humbling you soundly."

"She can do that," Anubisu mumbled sarcastically. Mentally, he gave up trying to explain he didn't want to manipulate or abuse their relationship with Kayura to get what they wanted or have Naaza do something he didn't want to. "Who will talk with her, and when will we talk with Naaza? We can't wait too long on this. And he won't listen tonight."

Shuten looked over to Rajura. "My role with her is that of a teacher. Yours is that of a trusted family elder. Anubisu is a doting older brother in her eyes. I will defer to your judgment here. All four of us should be present and have a voice in what we think will be the best solution. We will have to discuss that after her Ladyship has been briefed on the situation."

The white-haired Masho nodded. "I can invite her to join us now. Perhaps it would be prudent to invite her into the fold while Naaza still wants to avoid us. In that way, we can be sure that he won't interrupt us, and he'll get the space he so desperately desires." He looked over at Anubisu. "Is that agreeable to you?"

Anubisu nodded.

"Very well, then. I'll go fetch her," Rajura made for the door of their room to look for the girl in question!

Rajura stepped outside their room alone, eye searching the apartment for the ancient. When he found her, he approached with a polite smile and spoke quietly to her.

"Lady Kayura, if you have a moment, the other Masho and I would like to apprise you of what's been going on. Will you join us?"

Kayura did not hear Rajura’s approach. In fact, she heard nothing at all. Deep in meditation, she sat alone in the room she and Nasuti had shared. Her eyes, customarily closed when meditating, were open and blank, staring ahead into vast nothingness.

Rajura’s speech seemed to snap her out of it. Kayura was downright startled. ”Oh! Rajura-san...” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “My apologies. Yes, of course.” She stood up and made herself presentable.

The polite smile turned into something akin to fondness. "I apologize for startling you. This...isn't really any sort of formal affair. You can relax." He stated, attempting to reassure her that manners weren't going to be an issue.

While the priestess did not seem to relax, she gave Rajura an easy smile. “...Rajura-san, I think Naaza’s... issue should take the utmost precedent, I’d... like to speak with you later. Privately. If you don’t mind.”

"That's exactly what this is about. Come," the Master of Illusion led the way, expecting that she would follow him whether he'd said anything or not. He returned with the priestess in tow, waiting until she was inside to close the door.

Kayura bowed to each Masho present. The air was thick with unease. “I will do whatever I can to assist, although… I’m not sure how I can best help...” Whatever it was about this place, it led Kayura to want to protect them all to the very limits of her abilities. “...I care about all of you. Naaza very much included.”

Rajura nodded as he retook his place. "We were speaking of the best way we can help our resident alchemist. We're aware of how distant and private the man tends to be, even around us, and were considering the idea of how successful you speaking to him might be."

"He was disturbed by the naga in the lab. I think it might be bringing up some questions of who he is, questioning his humanity." Anubisu suggested from what he heard. "It's not hard to see why."

“I don’t know how much I can help, all these things considered, but I will do my utmost.” Kayura herself seemed empathetically disturbed on Naaza’s behalf. She hadn’t had much interaction with the Masho during her time in the Youjakai, but the thought crossed her mind that he might not be fully human. And who could deny it? His appearance was unique, to say the least. “They weren’t rude to him, were they? Were they at least polite, Anubisu-san?”

He shook his head, "Focused, and irritated they were disturbed, but not rude. They mostly spoke to Tenku, as Naaza didn't say much at all while we were there. The naga ignored him the same as they ignored Seiji and me."

“...that’s... reassuring, I suppose? I’m glad they weren’t outright rude to you or hostile.”

"It reminded me of how Naaza is when he works on a project."

Kayura stifled a giggle. “So... very focused.”

"Yes," Anubisu answered. "So, the question is, how do we make him feel we want him to stay?"

Kayura pondered a moment, then looked up at Anubisu. “I know he is not one for... feelings. Perhaps, after seeing the naga, he feels more alienated from the rest of us than he did before.” She wasn’t sure they could make the cantankerous alchemist feel anything he didn’t want to feel. “But I will be honest with him. I enjoy his company, even if he does not enjoy mine in return. I appreciate his insights, and... He’s important to me, as are the rest of you.”

Shuten nodded. "I agree. He is one of us. Regardless of if he is in a foul mood."

"Tomorrow, then? I wonder if this evening would be too soon for the man."

"We'll be lucky to be acknowledged tonight," Anubisu replied. "Tomorrow is better. How do you want to go about this, then?"

"I suspect we'll have to probably corner him to get him to listen to us. He'll hate it, but unless anyone else has a better idea...?" Rajura asked.

Shuten shrugged. "I can't imagine any other solution." Anubisu nodded along.

Despite not wanting to be disturbed, Naaza did not lock the other Masho out of the room. He stayed bundled up, refusing to answer their questions if he was alright, pretending they didn’t exist. 

After hearing a few sighs, they all went to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, the third morning they had in this world, it was still raining. Shin emerged first and saw Kayura yawning as she quietly closed the door. 

“Good morning, Kayura,” he said softly.

“Oh!” she squeaked, not having seen Shin yet. “Good morning Shin-san! Did you need any help this morning?” She tried to hand-comb out the tangles in her hair.

Shin smiled at her, “Not much. I was just going to refill the bathtub with fresh water. Maybe you can help me fill our water bottles?”

“Sure,” She said happily. “But, we can’t use the same tub from yesterday. Byakuen got bug goop all over him when I made the roaches explode. We bathed him in the tub, so it’s probably not the best idea to use that one until it’s really cleaned out well.”

“Hmmm, that’s a good idea. We can use the other bathtub.” Shin motioned for Kayura to follow him. As they got in and put their bottles down, Shin said, “Okay, let’s see if I can do this intentionally.” He pointed at the tub, closed his eyes, and imagined feeling the water emerging, the refreshing crispness, the silky flow, the rush of freedom that came in the water… And nothing.

“Are you okay, Shin-san?” Kayura asked.

He nodded, “Ya, just frustrated.” He flicked a hand towards the tub, “It can’t be something as stupid as aguamenti-“ But he cut off as water flowed from the tips of his fingers into the tub. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Kayura clapped, “That was wonderful, Shin-san!”

Shin looked at her with disbelief, “That seriously shouldn’t have worked.”

“But, it did,” she answered with a big smile, “and now we have water for today!” Shin shook his head as they began to fill the bottles, trying to be happy Kayura was happy. 

From the door, they heard, “Good morning,” from behind them. Kayura turned around, “Good morning, Anubisu-onii-san. We have fresh water if you want a drink.” 

He paused from trying to pull the knots out of his hair, looking at the water bottle Kayura held up. “No, thanks. You drink first, I’ll get later.” He briefly thought her little fingers could help with the tangles but remembered last time she ‘helped’ him with his hair he ended up with short braids.

“Okay,” She responded. “Since we know where the Yami armor is, should we go there today?” She wondered.

Anubisu shook his head, “No, since we know where the Suiko armor is, we should go there first. We don’t know where the train is and have to figure that out first.”

“Oh, okay.” She said, disappointed. Anubisu looked concerned for her before leaving. 

Shin put his hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay. I’m sure he appreciates your concern. He reminds me of how Seiji was in the beginning, worried about everyone else first, doing the tactically best thing for the group before himself.” 

Kayura smiled up at him, “Thank you, Shin-san.”

In the Trooper bedroom, Byakuen padded in softly. Shuu was just stirring, so he sniffed at the round face.

“Bleh!” Shuu cried, opening his eyes to see nothing but whiskers. “Good morning, buddy.” And he pushed the tiger head away.

Byakuen licked Shuu, who grumbled before turning to Ryo. Giving him a rough lick, he woke up. Next to Ryo, Seiji was stirring, but Byakuen decided against it, which left Touma. He licked the blue hair repeatedly until Touma roused. After multiple cow (tiger) licks the blue hair now stood up at all different angles. 

In the other bedroom, Shuten looked at the two other lumps, noting Anubisu was awake. He wondered for a moment, remembering Anubisu slept erratically, so being awake early wouldn’t be unusual. Actually, sleeping on the same schedule was far odder for him.

He called out, “Rajura, you need to get up. We need you up to get food.”

Rajura stirred, “I do hope it’s palatable today.”

“No promises.” Shuten chuckled. “Naaza, you need to wake up. If you want to eat, you need to get up.”

The lump with a tuft of green hair sticking out didn’t move, and Shuten was ready to call again when they heard a “fine” emerge. Both Rajura and Shuten straightened their clothes and went out to the others as Naaza began extracting himself.

“Did we ever find coffee?” Touma mumbled, sliding up to Shuu. 

“No, dude,” Shuu replied, “I’d kill for a Starbucks right now.” He giggled at Touma’s hair standing at all angles.

“I’d settle for gas station coffee.”

Nasuti smiled at them. “We need to get food first,” she said chuckling. “And then, maybe we’ll find somewhere you can get coffee.” Touma perked up at that. Nasuti clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “The first order of business today is to get some food. Shall we go to the food court?”

Several agreements followed, and Shuten added, “We could try Ibaraki’s shop as well. He had some food there. We can also check to make sure his wound is healing.”

“Well,” Nasuti thought, “it is on the way. So, it’s a good idea.”

In the meantime, Shuu tapped Kayura on the head, “Come here, little lady, let’s get your hair nice.” He led her to a chair and had her sit in front of it. He could feel the gaze of the Masho as he started to run his hands through her hair, straightening it out. “Want me to braid it so it’s out of the way and doesn’t get any more tangled?”

She nodded, “How do you know how to braid hair, Shuu-san?”

“I’ve got a degree in big brother.”

“Oh, I’d love another big brother!”

“Ha! You got it!” Shuu agreed. “And when we get back, I’ll introduce to all the others. I’ve a huge family, so you’ll have lots of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins…”

Kayura turned around with a huge smile. Shuu finished in short order as the rest packed supplies for the day.

On the way to Ibaraki’s shop, Shuu was arguing with Touma again.

“You know, you need real food sometimes, not just Cheetos,” Shu was saying.

“What are you talking about?” Touma answered.

“Have you ever seen the food pyramid?”

“Ya. It’s all junk food.”

“No, no, that’s just the tippy top. You need real food, man.”

Kayura bounced up to them, her French braid cascading down into a series of twists that twined around each other. “What’s a food pyramid?”

“Ask Touma; it’ll get him to actually look up and see what real food and real nutrition is,” Shuu answered.

“Dude, I’m alive!”

“Dude, you’re going to die of malnutrition with a full stomach!” Shuu snapped, and Touma’s jaw dropped at the heat behind those words. Shuu bowed his head, “Sorry, I just, you know, don’t want you to die.” Touma patted him on the shoulder, and they continued in silence. They watched Kayura go back to the Masho, hanging off Shuten’s arm and asking him questions. 

By the time they got to Ibaraki’s shop, Shuu and Touma were back to normal, bickering about Touma’s water bottle with Gamer’s Tears on the front. The debris outside of Ibaraki’s shop grew from last time. “Yo, Iba!” Shuu called loudly, and the sound echoed down the street.

Ibaraki came out of his shop, looking at Shu, who was waving, “Are you feeling alright?”

“Ya,” Shuu answered, “I was just summoning you.”

Ibaraki’s eyes went wide, “Are you a sorcerer?”

“I mean it worked. Here you are.”

“Oh,” Ibaraki answered. “Please don’t do that; I prefer my autonomy.” Others shook their head in disbelief, Shuten pinched the bridge of his nose. Ibaraki continued, “How can I help you? How are you doing? As you can see, I have cleaned up my domicile.” He waved at the shop that was looking cleaner and definitely smelled better.

Shuten nodded, “You’re making fantastic progress, and I’m sure Aki is pleased to have room to run around. Your improvement is benefiting not only you but Aki, too.” He waved at the red salamander that was running around as if chasing some invisible object.

“I made an obstacle course for him,” Ibaraki pointed to the bottles Aki was jumping over.

Shuu nodded, “Zoomies.” Seiji and Ryo nodded, but Touma was just confused.

“What brings you by my end of town?” Ibaraki asked. 

Without taking his eyes from Aki, who was now literally trying to climb the wall, Shuu answered, “We’re here to see you.”

Shuten agreed, “We came to check on you, but we were also wondering if you had any of the bitter drinks from your store?”

“Bitter?”

“Yes,” Shuten answered, “A dark drink and had the word coffee on them.”

“Oh, let me see,” Ibaraki goes to look in the back coolers. 

Calling after Ibaraki, Shuten said, “We would like to purchase them for you. Since you bought the sword for Ryo, we want to exchange money for the coffee. That way, you can benefit from selling things.”

“Oh,” Ibaraki bowed his head embarrassed, hardly expecting that. He found a cooler of the coffee drinks and scooping them up in his one arm, he carried them back. 

Shuten took them, “Is there something you need, and we’ll give you that or the peso in exchange for it?”

“Bloodshed,” Ibaraki answered honestly. “Um, I mean, I mean, can I help you with something, maybe.”

“If you want to help us, come with us in exchange for the coffee, we can do that.”

“I would like to beat other things up, please,” Ibaraki answered.

Nodding, Shuten affirmed, “I understand.” 

“I’m a very simple oni and I get bored cleaning.” They passed out the coffee drinks, Shuten handing his to Touma, remembering disliking the drink when Nasuti-san gave it to him. Touma beamed at having the two. 

Shuten opened one for Kayura, handing it to her. She smelled the drink, making a face before taking a sip. The complete look of betrayal at how bad it tasted made the others laugh. “How can you drink that?” She said to Touma.

Shuu put his arm around her, sipping his vanilla latte flavored one, “Touma doesn’t drink it because he likes it, he drinks it because he likes being twitchy.”

“I worry about you, Touma-san.” 

Rajura sipped his mocha flavored coffee. He didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t as good as tea. He watched others take drinks, some making faces.

Seiji hung near the back, keeping watch outside. Bits of paper and garbage seemed to blow in the non-existent breeze, making him wonder. 

Ibaraki came back with an armful of food wrapped in plastic. “I already had breakfast but, if you want, you can eat some of these ‘hot pockets,’” he over-pronounced the name, “Aki heats them up for me.” He demonstrated putting together the pocket with the sleeve, an impressive feat with only one arm, and then Aki set the whole thing on fire. Ibaraki gave the first one to Shuten. 

After watching Shuten try it and finding it surprisingly enjoyable, Ibaraki and Aki made enough for everyone. Not everyone enjoyed the Hot Pockets, but ate them because they were food. And that was in short supply. 

“So,” Touma said around a mouthful of a pepperoni pizza pocket, “we’re going to go find a lightning beast.”

“Sounds like fun.” Ibaraki perked up.

“We can’t kill it.”

“Sounds like less fun.”

Shuu came over, throwing an arm around Ibaraki and waving his Hot Pocket around, “Think of this like the ultimate hunt and challenge of your skills.”

“My skill is killing things,” Ibaraki answered.

“Stay with me, dude.” Shuu took a deep breath.

“What is ‘dude?’”

“It’s a person you know.”

“You are a dude?”

“I am certainly a dude. 100% grade A dude.”

“Shuten, are you a dude?”

Shuten looked a little shocked to be included, “No. At no point have I ever been a dude.”

Shuu clapped at them, “Focus, people. Focus, focus.” Ibaraki looked intensely at Shuu. “Killing stuff, it’s too easy, it doesn’t challenge your skill, it doesn’t give you the thrill anymore. You need new skills, more challenging prey.”

“I see,” Ibaraki said, “I would like to punch the lightning beast.”

“That’s what we’re doing, huntin’ it down.”

“Okay, how do we find the lightning beast?”

“Touma, you take it, man.”

“Thanks,” he answered tiredly. The caffeine just started to kick in. “They like quiet abandoned places,” Touma turned to Seiji, “I think they said there might be one at a school.”

“They said pool, not school,” Seiji said exasperatedly.

“That’s the word,” Touma sipped at his second coffee.

Ibaraki punched the air, “Point the way, and I’ll punch it hard, but not punch it hard enough to kill it.”

Touma nodded, “Ya, we need it alive. We’ll get paid very nicely if it’s alive.”

“That part I don’t care about.”

“Well, I do,” Touma answered. 

“Will they pay you by letting you play with the toys?” Shuu teased.

“I hope so,” Touma laughed with him.

“Are we really going to condemn a living creature to months or years of torture just to power one city block?” Anubisu asked heavily. “Just for money?”

Shuu sobered quickly, “Wait, there’s torture?”

“I didn’t see any torture. It looked like more of a zoo situation.” Touma countered.

Shin asked, “What will they be doing with the creature? How does it power the city block?”

Anubisu shook his head, “We didn’t get to see.”

Shuu was more concerned with practical matters, “How was it being fed?”

Naaza chimed in, “They don’t eat.”

“What, they suck electrons out of the air?” Shuu looked confused.

Naaza shrugged, “Sure.”

“I just remember a tiger and boar. Maybe one of those was the one they brought with them.” Touma said.

“So, maybe this doesn’t hurt them.” Shuu tried.

“Or we just didn’t see what was happening,” Anubisu refuted. 

“Look,” Touma said, “let’s go get it and see what we think. We’ll ask when we get back what happens when they get one. And if we don’t think it’s a good thing, we’ll come up with something else.”

Shuten looked at Anubisu, “What do you think?”

Anubisu shook his head, “I don’t agree with this, but I’m not going to divide the group.”

Ibaraki pointed to the east and began leading them, “There’s a pool around here, just over there.”

“You swim?” Shuu asked, “In the oil?”

“Before I lost my arm,” Ibaraki answered.

Shuu nodded, “Turkish wrestling, nice.”

“What is that?”

“Oh, my dude, this is a sport where combatants are slicked with oil and wrestle and whoever can grapple and pin their opponent is the victor.”

“Maybe I’ll dip you in the pool and we can wrestle!”

“Wait,” Shuu cried, waving his hands, “there’s something called a weight class!”

But Ibaraki didn’t listen and picked Shuu up, carrying him like a large doll. “Let’s go!”

The rest laughed at the antics and Seiji teased, “I thought you were the strongest.”

Kayura tried to come to Shuu’s aid, “Shouldn’t you try to wrestle someone your own size? Like another oni.”

Ibaraki looked at Shuten, “Does Shuten want to wrestle?”

“I have,” Shuten started, “um, given up the sport.”

Ibaraki smiled back at Shuu, “It looks like it is you and me.”

As the others were distracted, Rajura fell behind, pulling Anubisu with him. “I know you have issues with doing this, but I don’t want you to let your new-found morals get someone hurt.”

Anubisu glared at Rajura, “I know where my priorities lay.”

Rajura nodded subtly. "Good. This place is stirring up a lot for us. I shudder to think what might happen if it starts clouding our judgement."

Around the corner, they saw the public pool at the end of the block. A chain-link fence, almost as tall as Ibaraki separated it from the street. They can see an animal moving inside. It looked like a blue buck with electric yellow stripes. Sparks were dancing between its antlers as it drank the oily water from the pool.

Ibaraki dropped Shuu at this point, who slumped to the ground, as he whispered, “Should we be stealthy?”

Ryo nodded, ducking behind some bushes “Maybe you can wrestle that, buddy.”

Ibaraki smiled as he squatted behind some equipment and Touma said, “Wait, they’re electric. How do you feel about being electrocuted?”

“That’s not good; it might blow my arm off.”

“Ya, buddy,” Ryo agreed, “you need that arm.”

“We’re not here to fight yet,” Touma insisted, he nocked an arrow. “We’re just assessing the battle.” He watched Shuten, and others find concealed spots. 

Shin slid up to Touma, having had fun watching Shuu put his foot in his mouth. “We have raincoats and gloves.” He held out the materials. 

“Strange,” Seiji muttered, looking intensely at the creature. “Or perhaps not. It feels like lightning, the very element itself.”

“It kinda looks like Bambi’s dad,” Shuu added unhelpfully.

Nasuti cracked her knuckles, moving to hide next to Shuu, “Well, if you guys don’t have any good ideas, I’ve got something up my sleeve.” 

“Tell us, oh, fearless leader,” Shuu waved her on.

Ryo agreed, “Please, share.”

“You remember when Kayura and I were taking the stuff out to the dumpster and we got attacked by the nasty roach things?”

“Perverts, ya,” Shuu chirped.

“Well, I managed to put some of them to sleep,” Nasuti said proudly.

“WTF,” Shuu chirped again, and Nasuti flicked his ear.

Shuten looked concerned for her, “Nasuti-san, where were you keeping them?”

“Well, Kayura blasted them, they’re gone now.”

Touma looked a little hurt, “Nasuti, you told us Kayura shoots lightning and now you tell us you can put creatures to sleep? I expect better of you!”

“To be fair, shooting lightning sounds more impressive.” Nasuti shrugged. Kayura blushed as the compliment. “Shall I try to put the raiju to sleep?”

“It’ll make our job a lot easier,” Touma added. 

“Okay, help me up and over.”

Ryo slid up beside her, “I’m going with you.” He knelt down and offered his hands for Nasuti to climb on. She easily pulled herself over the fence and landed quietly. Ryo got boosted by Shuu a little too aggressively and fell on his butt. 

Nasuti sneaked closer, then held her hands out and said, “Soporiferous.” It hit. The raiju stumbled a bit, as if drunk, but not yet asleep. Nasuti realized the problem and turned to running back to Ryo. 

Touma pulled his bow, aiming around Nasuti, and struck a chair. The frail chair flipped in a spray of foam and plastic. The raiju startled and turned to charge the chair. As it attacked, the frame got stuck on its antlers and the raiju screamed in rage. Nasuti pressed against the fence, trying to meld back through to the others. 

Kayura suddenly was next to him, “Watch this, Touma-san,” She stuck her hands through the holes in the fence. Long streams of purple lightning shot from her fingertips, striking the raiju in the rear. It screamed again, tossing its head violently.

“Nice,” Touma complimented.

Rajura also leaned down next to her ear, “Well done, but keep your focus.”

“Rajura-san, does this make me a badass?” She whispered back. 

“Just keep your focus,” Rajura answered, looking to glare as Shuu, who was suddenly focused everywhere else. 

Nasuti smiled at Kayura and mimicked her actions, shouting “Bombus,” and shooting pure energy at the creature, knocking it away from charging the group. She pulled back her hands, miming blowing smoke from her finger guns.

Ryo charged the creature, swinging his sword to redirect the beast. It worked, the raiju moved farther away, only to return fast and headbutt Ryo. He lay dazed on the ground from the shock of the strike and shock of the electricity.

“Shit,” Shuu cried, “Iba, give me a boost!” Ibaraki hoisted Shuu up and over, but his shirt got caught, leaving him dangling. Until riiip – the shirt tore up the back, dropping Shuu to the ground. Between the irritation and pain from his newly twisted ankle, Shuu raged, “Fuck this place! Fuck everything about it! Fuck this shirt! Fuck everything, Garah!!, Fuck everything that lives here, fuck!” Shuu rips his shirt screaming his rage. “I’m so sick of this shit!” 

He barely heard Ibaraki cry something out as he swung his mace at the raiju. He succeeded in keeping the thing back from Nasuti and Ryo, as it turned away from him and the wildly swinging mace. 

Others looked on. Some, like Touma and Kayrua, were afraid of taking another shot as the raiju rampaged between their friends, while others like Anubisu, knowing their attacks would be useless, kept an eye out for other things that could attack. 

Seiji rushed over to Ibaraki, “Please, help me too!” He called and Ibaraki tossed him over the fence. He landed, stumbling, and used that irritation to hit the raiju square in the face with his mace, it staggered under the assault of the mace and lightning that flowed from Seiji. The crack of thunder that followed was horrible in its intensity, echoing and echoing between the buildings.

The raiju stumbled again, but also seemed to swell. When it looked back to Seiji, its eyes glowed with a hint of green, matching Seiji’s armor color. And it stared at Seiji, mesmerized. 

Shin took the moment to shoot poison from his hands, shocking himself and everyone else. He turned to Naaza, who gave him a sneer of envy, and he felt so bad. The raiju broke from its trance, screaming in pain, and charged again.

Shuten had enough; he used Ibaraki’s shoulder to launch himself over the fence, landing perfectly before running to the creature. Swinging his staff, he struck the beast, knocking it out. It fell unconscious under Shuten’s blow. 

Everyone relaxed for the moment, unsure what to do now that the creature was unconscious. 

Ibaraki scowled at Shuu, trying to tear the fence out of the ground. ”’Fuck everything that lives here?’ I live here, and I do not wish to. Should we have words?” 

A ghostly howl echoed down the street. Before Ibaraki or any other could react further, the wild and deranged calls drew closer. The group recognized these sounds. 

“The missing pack from the apartments?” Rajura asked in disbelief. A fair distance away, to the east, a lightning bolt shot through the sky and landed somewhere on earth.

“Dogs!” cried Kayura, readying herself.

Seiji cursed soundly, realizing it was his attack that attracted the incoming pack. Touma notched an arrow, saying to himself, "This escalated quickly."

Anubisu called out, “Everyone, get inside the fence!” And they started scrambling. A barrier would afford some protection and give them a moment more for long-range attacks. Not nearly as fancy as Shuten's incredible jump, Kayura scrambled over the fence as Anubisu instructed, with Shin not far behind.

Rajura attempted to scale the fence but only ended up making himself look the fool as he slid off before making it over. "Fuck! What I wouldn't give for my subarmor right about now..." Anubisu helped boost him over the fence. He called over to Naaza, helping him up, and ignoring the odd looks Naaza shot him.

Touma bit down on the arrow he notched and climbed up over the fence. Ibaraki scrambled awkwardly, flopping over the fence without any grace whatsoever. "I would like to remind you, grumpy shirtless Shuu-person, that Oni are not meant for gymnastics, and we still need to have words about the fuck everything that lives here." 

Shuu, having calmed enough to manage speech, pointed at Iba, and said. "Look, bro! I'm probably gonna say some shit in anger cuz I hate this fuck hole of a place! I will apologize to you properly later, man! Until then, I can get behind your usual sentiment. So much for being mighty hunters, man, I wanna punt those little assholes! " He yelled, gesturing, angrily, at the fence and the sound of those little fuck head dogs.

With everyone over the fence, Anubisu looked back to the corner, seeing the pack of dogs rounding the corner. He could see the spit and puss dripping before he turned around and climbed the fence himself, landing behind with the others.

The largest keukegen led the pack, its maw dripping with disease and pus. Breath hot from running at breakneck speed, the keukegen began to congregate at the fence, barking and rearing up on their hind legs to snap at any limbs that might come through the fence.

Touma notched his arrow again aiming for the lead dog. It stared at him, as if daring to release the arrow. True to the mark, the arrow pierced the skull, flipping the dog over its own back where it lay still amongst the others. The other dogs sniffed it, shocked for a moment, before clawing at the fence again, trying to knock it down. From Ibaraki's previous attempts to uproot the fence, it sagged against the dogs’ force, but held firm… for now.

Following Touma again, Kayura shot purple fire. The cries of the dogs echoing down the street and the scent of burnt fur wafted over to them. 

Rajura picked himself up, having taken the time to dust himself off from falling again. "That fence isn't going to hold for long. Let's try this again," he muttered to himself. Rajura's new magical abilities culminated in another cloud of a sleep-inducing spell. Unlike Nasuti's unsuccessful attempt, two of the keukegen wobbled and eventually fell over, fast asleep, as he fourth dog began tearing at the fence, with the fifth nipping at its heels. It didn’t care that its teeth were cracking on the steel, it wanted to tear apart the people inside that destroyed the pack.

Nasuti's hands lit up with magic and she launched three darts at the dog tearing at the fence. With a yelp, it was blasted backward, but remained alive and kicking. “Why won’t these dogs die!?”

The final keukegen rammed the fence, twisting it, starting to pull it down to give way where the remaining dog could get over it. Then, the party would be trapped inside with the dogs.

Ryo lifted his sword to attack the keukegen biting at the fence. Overly eager and not taking the fence into consideration, Ryo merely scraped along the metal, nicking the dog’s nose, but doing no other damage.

Anubisu looked over to Naaza and Shuu standing near him. "If we attack together, we'll have a better chance of defeating it without anyone hurt. If I get it's attention, Naaza, can you stun it or get it to stall? Then, Shuu, you can finish it?"

"I will try, but no promises!" Naaza answered, readying himself.

"FUCK YEAH! I'm so sick of this shit!" Shuu bellowed, tightening his grip on his mace, watching as a hole, big enough for the dog’s head to get through was torn open.

“Then, now,” Anubisu answered, throwing one of the kitchen knives at the dog, having it catch in the fence. It got the keukegen’s attention. Naaza hit it with his fire as Shuu emerged from the flashes like a fire demon to smash the dog on its head. 

Riding on the coordinated attack, Seiji followed right behind, smashing into the last dog, sending it backwards and Shuten came directly behind and finished the dog. Shuten's short staff connected solidly with the keukegen’s skull, killing it. Its body now lay still at the base of the fence.

“Do we have to kill the rest?” Shin asked. “Maybe we can just take the raiju?”

Seiji disagreed, “They do seem to be a local menace - perhaps we could get a reward for taking them out?”

Shin took a deep breath, recognizing the truth of the words. "Rage of inferno--I mean Incendio." Shin's hands lit up with flame, sizzling one of the sleeping dogs. It yelped and jumped to life, turning to ram the fence. The smell of barbequed dog hair wafted over them.

With only one arm, Ibaraki punched the fence as hard as he could trying to get to the dog and feel more useful. He toppled the fence, sending it flying before punching the dog so hard that the keukegen died on impact, its lifeless body flying several feet before landing in a heap. The oni turned to Shuten triumphantly, with a great smile on his face.

Touma took one look at the last dog and drew an arrow back to put it out of its misery. At least it wouldn’t feel any pain.

“Nice work,” Seiji said to Touma. “Now we just have to deal with the raiju.”

"Thanks," he nodded to Seiji. "And we should probably let someone know we took out another pack of these things," he pointed to the keukegen, "That way they know the pack's been depleted again. Might start to make things safer at night. Also... what the hell was that thunderous attack? That was impressive as fuck, man."

The raiju’s unconscious body was right where they left it, still breathing, as they moved back to figure out what to do with it. “I don’t know,” Seiji said in frustration, his hand tightening on the mace. “I get angry or focus and things just keep happening. Nasuti and Shin, at least, seem to need a trigger word for most of their new abilities. I just need to feel a strong emotion and destruction follows.”

Touma cringed a bit and put a hand on Seiji's shoulder.

“There’s nothing to do about it right now. We should focus on the mission at hand.” Seiji eyed the fallen raiju and noticed some blue flowers growing through the cracks. Somehow, they weren’t trampled in the rampage. “Weren’t flowers mentioned in one of the available jobs?”

When the blue flowers were pointed out, Naaza perked up. Disregarding the fight they were just in, the Masho hurried over to them and began to inspect them with all the vigor of a specimen-starved botanist. 

"Well, at least he'll be in a better mood for later," Rajura muttered to Anubisu as he watched the man talk to himself out loud, making mental notes. Anubisu nodded.

"Lycoris radiata...Not normally this color...Wonder if the raiju has something to do with it..." Naaza inspected the area around the flowers to dig them up rather than just pick them. The green-haired Masho quietly cursed under his breath. "Might one of you lend me a blunted weapon? I need to make a bigger opening."

Seiji offered his mace to Naaza. Without looking at the blonde, Naaza took the mace with an off-handed "Thank you," and worked to carefully break the cement without hurting the flowers. Slowly, chips of concrete broke off, letting Naaza dig up the flowers, roots and all, as the rest watched with mixed fascination and bewilderment. 

Finished, he offered the mace back to whomever would take it, dropping it when that hand didn’t appear fast enough. He searched around, going to the shed in the back, to pull out a tarp to carry the flowers in. The snake-like Masho tossed things from the shed out of his way and dragged the tarp out, and used his dagger to cut it into two smaller pieces. With all the work and care he put into being able to transport two little flowers, one might just catch a hint of a smile on his face.

When he finished, Naaza carefully kept the tarps closed with each hand. "Now," he let out a satisfied sigh. "Shouldn't someone be figuring out how to transport the raiju or do you require me to figure that out for you?"

Seiji put on one set of rubber gloves and gingerly poked the raiju, waiting to see what happened. The raiju stirred ever so slightly. 

Stepping back, Seiji readied his mace to knock the creature unconscious if it woke up. “We need some way to restrain it so we can deliver it. Is there enough of that tarp to cut bonds for it?”

"It's electric, it'd burn right through the tarp." Touma looked around to see if there was a hose or something rubber around the pool area. Touma spotted the green hose and hurried over to it, picking it up. "This'll work better."

Seiji glances at the Masho. “Any tips on how to restrain this thing? We don’t have a lot of experience working with wild animals. Or things shaped like wild animals.”

Rajura looked to Anubisu. "You're the one who was concerned with the raiju's well-being. Care to enlighten the rest of us?"

Anubisu glared at Rajura before looking around. There were enough pieces around to do what he wanted. “Shuten, Kongo, drag the tarp behind the raiju, spreading it out. Tenku, bring that over here with gloves. Naaza or someone, get me a small length of fabric, about two shaku.”

He took the gloves from Touma, putting them on before stretching out the hose. He quickly tied the bottom front leg, pulling the rear legs and securing all three together. Then, he looped the loose end of the hose around the antlers. “I need help rolling it on the tarp,” He said looking at Shuu and Shuten.

“How do you want to move it?” Seiji asked, stepping forward and hanging his mace on his belt.

"We're going to roll it over onto the tarp and carry the tarp. It's the only way to move it without hurting it or ourselves. I need the fabric to cover its eyes, help keep it calm if it does wake up."

Touma looked at the remains of the Doom shirt, "May as well use this." Thinking, RIP my dear Doom shirt, I'll just make Shuu get me a new one at some point.

Anubisu took the remains of the shirt, pausing briefly at the thought of where it came from, before pushing the thought away. He tied it around the raiju's head.

“Naaza, what do you want to do with the flowers?” Seiji asked once the raiju was secured.

The man in question gave him an incredulous look as though the answer were obvious. "Rehome them somewhere more convenient so I can run tests, of course." His expression turned more thoughtful, "I'll have to speak with He Xiangu on what he knows about them. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement."

"What she knows about them." Shuu corrected. "Don't misgender my bird idol dude." He said, finally much calmer as he made about following Anubisu’s instructions.

Touma looked at Shuu, "Feel better yet?"

Shuu nodded, "Yeah. I think I really needed to just have a fit. I feel bad for hurting Iba's feelings though. So, once we're done here, I'm gonna have to find out what he needs for us to be good with each other again. Man. At least if I gotta go around like Conan it's not cold or windy out..."

"We just need to find pasties for your nips." He joked.

Ibaraki, hearing his name, walked up to Shuu’s side. “So,” breathed the oni. ”’Fuck everything that lives here?’ You are not an oni, therefore there will be no fucking, however I will remember your interest.” A thought occurred to the oni, who, without a filter, blurted out, ”Was this what the mud wrestling was about? Was that a proposition?”

Seiji turned to Ibaraki with a completely solemn face. “Shuu was always fierce in his passions.” Touma turned his back away, covering his mouth and trying so very hard not to burst out laughing.

Ibaraki-doji blushed fiercely. “I have not been pursued so passionately before.”

Anubisu opened his mouth to suggest Shuu and Ibaraki work together to carry the raiju, but then said nothing and decided to sit back and watch the show.

Shuu stooped beside the raiju like a deer in the headlamps. Mouth hanging open he stared from face to face incredulously. Finally trying to find the gumption to speak a squeak came out. Clearing his throat Shuu said, "Uuuuh. I'm just a person who has a lot of respect for combat sports. I mean like, there are some people who might get uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh." Searching for a word... because Kayura was right ass fucking THERE!!! "Tingly pants feelings about combat sports. I don't happen t-to get my tingly pants feelings FROM that, uuuh, if you, uuuh, know what I mean?"

Ibaraki blinked at Shuu owlishly. “Tingly in the pants? You mean an erection? Why not just say that? It’s less confusing.”

Meanwhile, Kayura was shocked and Nasuti cleared her throat. “So, I think we should move the raiju back to the Black Building before it wakes up and possibly does more damage. And then maybe we can stop talking about erections,” she mumbled.

"Yes please! Yeah, yeah! Let's just do that! Time is of the essence and all! Come on Iba, heave ho and off we go!" The beet red of Shuu's face was so strong that the blush had extended to his chest.

Ibaraki looked back to the group and shrugged, picking up a portion of the tarp.


	22. Chapter 22

They watched the ujigami flutter around the Naga as they examined the creature. Nagendra pulled out a little cylinder, scanning the animal and reading the results it showed him. They chittered quietly as they discussed the beast.

“Um,” Touma interjected, wanting so much to ask about their devices, but keeping to the task at hand, “by any chance can we have access to the roof since we’ve done this?”

Nagendra clicked the cylinder like a pen and put it in his breast pocket. Touma noticed it had his name embroidered on it and wondered if the spider sisters made his coat. He tilted his head before answering, “Well, I don’t see why not.”

“Wonderful!”

“What is your goal for the roof?”

Touma pointed up, “I would like to see the mass in the sky and we have evidence that something we are looking for is ‘high up.’”

He made a face in reply, odd-looking without eyebrows to furrow, “There’s nothing but cloud cover, so I don’t see why not.” He said skeptically as he pulled a key out of his pocket.

Taking the key, Touma muttered, “Now we just need binoculars.”

Shuu patted him on the shoulder, “We can check with the dokkaebi.”

“Do you say you need binoculars?” Nagendra asked.

Nodding, “It would be a nice thing to have, yes.” Touma was hopeful they would have some.

Nagendra nodded back, “I think I can provide some.”

“Really?” Touma lit up, “I would appreciate that like you have no idea.”

Motioning for Diya and the other Naga to take the tarp up, Nagendra waved the Troopers and Masho to follow him. 

“I’m going to He Xiangu,” Naaza announced, clearly uncomfortable with the Naga.

While the Masho exchanged looks, Shuu lit up, “I’ll tag along!”

“I shall join you as well,” Shuten answered. 

“If Shuten is going somewhere, I will accompany him. We don’t know if he will need protection.” Ibaraki announced.

“You know you can just hang out with us and you don’t need a reason, right?” Shuu asked him.

“Well, you are hanging out, I still have my clothes on.”

“Touché, my dude,” Shuu answered with a smile.

“I am not yet a dude, and I have not decided if that’s a worthwhile goal.”

“Alright, my… fellow,” Shuu tried, “just saying you don’t need a reason to spend time with us. You can just say you want to come with us, too, because you want to.”

Ibaraki looked shy, “I want to come and spend time with you.”

“Alright, heave-ho, let’s go!”

“You want me to pick you again?” Ibaraki asked.

“No! Nonono,” Shuu waved, panicked. 

“At least one of us should stay with the Troopers,” Anubisu muttered to Rajura off to the side. 

Rajura smiled, seeing his way out of climbing the stairs, “Enjoy.” To which he heard barely audible vulgarities in return. 

“I’ll stay here, too,” Kayura announced, taking place next to Anubisu. She received a smile from him that made her happy with the decision. “I want to see what’s up there, too!”

Ryo looked divided, but his curiosity won out. He asked the other Troopers, “Is anyone else going with Shuu?”

“If my armor is up there, I should go up,” Shin answered.

“And I’m not leaving Touma unsupervised,” Seiji affirmed.

Nasuti was looking at the group, and seeing the division, made her decision, “I’m going to head back to the apartment. I’ll stop by and let the ujigami know the last pack of keukegen was destroyed.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ryo said. “We’ll see you when we get back.” He waved to her as the two groups separated for their destinations.

The first group made their way up to the second floor but were waved to stay outside. Touma’s disappointment was palpable as the door closed on him. 

It took a few minutes, but Nagendra came out shortly, handing Touma a set of binoculars unlike anything he’s seen before. They were silver and noticeably light. “I would like those back when you're done,” Nagendra said, seeing the greedy look.

“Okay, damn,” Touma muttered. 

Nagendra nodded and went back inside. They all heard him commanding his group in Hindi as the door closed behind him. But, as the group started up, Diya emerged. “I will be joining you for observation.” He said as he slithered up the stairs past them gracefully.

A few flights up, Shin asked Diya, “So, when did you end up in this world?”

“I hatched in this world under Nagendra’s watch about 400 years ago.” He answered, quite happy to share. 

Anubisu asked the follow-up question, “So, where did you come from prior?”

“My clutch was six eggs that Nagendra protected, taken from the future and raised here. Nagendra is like a surrogate father to us.”

“Have you ever tried to go back? To take the train to go back?” He asked.

Diya shook his head, “Nagendra has gone back, but it’s not so friendly in the future.”

“I see,” Anubisu answered. “Can you tell us more about the location of the train and train ride?”

“The train ride is hard to explain scientifically. It’s more of a when, not a where. It is a distant future and I haven’t ridden the train. That would be a question for Nagendra.”

“That’s interesting,” Seiji muttered, looking to Touma for his input, only to see him focused on breathing and climbing. “So, the train doesn’t go to a place; it goes to a time.”

“Timey Whimy,” Shin muttered.

“Yes,” Diya answered, looking back at Shin’s comment. “The future is hostile to anything made of flesh, which is why Nagendra took the eggs. I don’t know how eggs got to the future or why it was Nagendra who found us. I am thankful we are all safe here, given the future is so bleak.

“We can get around without being detected,” Diya continued. “We got all our equipment from the future, go back to steal and then return, but can’t do that if the train is not running. We created the binoculars,” he waved to Touma and Ryo, who started to lag. “We’re outgrowing the floor we’re on and currently in talks with the ujigami to expand. We want to go back to get more of the technology before we run out of new experiments.”

“If it’s hostile to the flesh, is it youja or something else?” Anubisu asked.

“We’re not sure,” He answered. “We have a theory, but Nagendra would know better.”

Seiji responded, “We’re thinking about trying to find a way to get the train to move again, so maybe we can work on that in the future.”

Touma took a deep breath, incapable of the exercise dampening his curiosity, and said, ”Let’s hear the theory.” 

“There is talk of a creature, and I haven’t seen it. Nagendra mentions avoiding the cathedral when we are there and it is that thing that makes the place hostile.”

“Is the creature of flesh or a machine?” Anubisu wondered.

“I don’t know, but I believe Nagendra does. We are not permitted to go near the cathedral.

“Is that something that Nagendra would be willing to talk about or is it too sensitive?”

Diya shrugged, “He might be willing to divulge information for more information or services.” The hint in the suggestion was obvious.

“Sounds reasonable,” Anubisu had more questions. “What do you know about the train itself?”

“Well, it looks like a train from this era, but this is where science fails us so far. As it moves forward, it changes to match the future’s idea of a train, it changes while you're inside, and you feel like you're wrapped in a blanket of stars.” He said dreamily.

Touma looked star-struck, thinking about the train. Ryo grabbed his arm, making him continue up. Touma asked breathily, “Does the train make multiple stops in different times and places?”

“As far as I know, it only makes one stop in the future. And I haven’t gone to the past. I hear the past is dangerous and the present is the safest place.”

Anubisu perked up, “Do you know what era the past is in?”

“I have never seen the past, but I hear many tribes are there. Most are reported to be insular and hostile to those who don’t look like them. I suggest talking to the Dokkaebi. They went there.”

Shin nodded, “Food for thought later.”

Seiji asked then, “Do you know what has stopped the train?”

“I have heard from the Dokkaebi, something moved into one of the tunnels and seems to be moving through the tunnels. It blocks the train.”

“Dokkaebi, tomorrow,” Touma panted as they passed the 24th floor. 

“Yes,” Seiji answered. “Is there anything more you can tell us about what’s blocking the train or where the train goes? Even if it’s nonsense?”

“Nonsense, maybe,” Diya answered. “We overheard the Dokkaebi talk about the creature in the tunnel breathing. They believe it’s alive, but they are not able to light it up. It either moves away from lanterns or absorbs light, which is total nonsense. They know it’s hostile.”

Anubisu leaned over to Seiji and whispered, “I’ve had a nagging suspicion that it might be the Yami armor itself that is the creature blocking the train. Getting the armor back will release the train.” 

Seiji nodded. “That would match my experiences.” He smiled at Anubisu to show he meant no injury with the statement.

“Myself and the others are working on trying to get rid of Hobart,” Diya continued. “But we’re not sure if the method will work. Acid rounds may be enough to eat through it, but since it's so dangerous, we haven’t been able to test it.”

“Okay,” Shin said. “How much do you know about Hobart and the people on it? Especially since they speak English and are asking people to get out of the way and to kill them.”

“We’ve been studying it for a while. Sherman tank: WWII. The operators seem to be attached to it. As far as we can tell, more people are attached than what would normally take to run it. As for English speakers, we theorize that in the transition to this world, the tank, crew, and surrounding groups fused. It’s added more items as time goes by. When we first saw it, it didn’t shoot fire. The fire is a recent addition, although it always did appear and disappear.”

Ryo panted along with Touma, “I suppose it always did try to attack people?”

“Oh, yes. It actually had a normal tank gun, but didn’t have spotlights originally.”

“So, someone malicious is driving or using Hobart,” Seiji said, shaking his head.

Diya nodded, “That is a possibility, yes.”

“How recent is the fire?” Seiji continued.

“Fairly recent actually,” Diya answered. “Over the past couple of years. Yes, it seemed to lose the gun on the front when it gained the flame thrower. And when it gained the spotlights, they seemed to move on their own. There is a possibility there is a driver, we’re not entirely sure. We’ve done scans to try to determine what’s inside, but all we can detect is heat.”

They arrived at the roof, Touma and Ryo panting hard and the rest needing a short break. Only Seiji seemed to be at ease. He didn’t even appear to have a droplet of sweat nor a hair out of place. Touma turned the key and pulled on the handle, nothing happened. Seiji reached around and pushed the bar to swing the door open.

After catching his breath, Touma looked up at the sky, “So, the binoculars you lent us, which I really would like to have a pair of, they can see through metals. How good are they at seeing through the clouds or mist?”

“We haven’t tested them on that yet, so I’m interested in seeing how they work,” Diya took out his notepad and pencil. 

“So am I,” Touma held up the binoculars to his eyes. Rain started to accumulate on the lenses, but they didn’t fog up.

Ryo walked over to the edge, held back by a flimsy railing. “Let’s all watch our step.”

Anubisu wandered to the north, hearing something low and rumbling. It was faint, almost too faint. “Does anyone else hear the low noise?

“Hear what?” Seiji said, and looked intently around the rooftop and beyond.

“Could you describe what you heard?” Diya asked.

Anubisu closed his eyes, focusing on the sound. “It’s a low rumble, animalistic.” He pointed slightly off the north mark, “three to five ri, I would guess.”

Touma looked through the binoculars, amazed at the figures and facts displayed. Adjusting the focus changed the stats. His fingers brushed a knob at the top, which he pushed, seeing the display flip through night and thermal vision. And in the thermal vision, he saw it. “Oh, my fucking god, it’s huge!” He saw the oval mass moving west. “How do I zoom in?”

“Turn the lens in front.”

Doing so, the image suddenly zoomed in close, causing Touma to jump a bit, “This is amazing! I still don’t know what it is though!”

“Let me see,” Shin said, and Touma handed over the binoculars. “It’s a whale,” he answered after just seconds. 

“There’s a whale,” Touma asked, “a frickin’ whale, in the sky?!”

Shin lowered the binoculars, “I turn into a ghost fish and this surprises you?”

Touma shrugged, “Good point.” Shin went back to looking at the whale.

Kayura slid up to him, “Touma-san, can I look through them?”

Touma smiled as Shin handed over the binoculars. She looked from the clouds down to the city, smartly scanning around. Touma was impressed by how easily she got it.

“Do you know what kind of whale it is?” Diya asked, jotting notes quickly. 

Shin answered, “It looked like a blue whale.” Then to Kayura, “Do you see anything?”

Ryo came up to stand next to Seiji and look out over the city as she turned to Touma. “Does red mean hot?” she asked with a tremble in her voice.

“Yes,” He said hurriedly. 

“There’s something very, very hot down there,” she answered with a squeak.

Touma grabbed the binoculars as Anubisu put his hands on Kayura's shoulders, looking over her. “Oh, shit.” Touma said.

“Hobart?” Seiji questioned.

“Shit, maybe,” Touma switched off the thermal. “Yup, that’s Hobart.”

“Not good,” Seiji replied.

“The others are down there!” Shin cried.

Seiji grabbed the back of Ryo’s collar just as he was about to jump off the roof. He dragged him to the stairs, “We don’t have our armors, idiot,” Seiji said with equal parts amusement and exasperation. “We can’t lose you like that.”

Ryo looked sheepish, "Oh yeah. Thanks, Seiji." He followed everyone as they ran down the stairs.


	23. Chapter 23

As the other team left the building, they were in good spirits. Naaza led the way, keeping a fast pace and wanting to see the one person he actually liked in this realm.

Ibaraki pulled Shuu to him, “Shuu, you are a dude.”

“Yes,” Shuu answered. 

“And I am not a dude.

“I agree.”

“And you are not an oni.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Therefore, we cannot, you know, have sex.”

Shuu desperately wanted to put his head between his knees and scream but kept walking. “You know what buddy, I respect that. I agree, we’ll just remain friends. How does that sound?”

“That sounds ideal.”

“Great, fantastic,” He called before muttering, this is my life! I want my emotional support cat.

Ibaraki patted Shuu on the head, “I’m glad we can have this difficult conversation and remain friends.”

“Ya bro, I respect you,” Shuu answered, ignoring the snickers behind him.

“I’m not related to you, but okay.”

“How about brothers in arms?”

“Okay, because if we were actually related and you were propositioning me, that would be very improper.”

Shuu just didn’t know what to say. Rajura came up behind and patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, Shuu-san, I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually.” The condescension and sarcasm simply dripped from each word.

“I mean,” Shuu replied with a smirk. This he could deal with, “I appreciate it from someone like you who found their something: a fucking crusty sock.”

Rajura glared, but before he could say anything, Shuu continued, “Thanks Rajura, I do feel better!”

“Oh, you’re so welcome,” Rajura replied to Shuu’s laughter.

Ibaraki leaned over to Shuten and asked, “Is the snake man okay?” They both saw the tensing of Naaza’s body and how his steps quickened.

Shaking his head, Shuten answered, “He’s like this. He’s very focused.”

“Is he also a dude?”

“No, he is not a dude.”

“I’m bewildered as to what makes a dude.”

Taking a deep breath and silently cursing Shuu, “From my understanding, a dude is a certain emotional state of being. I would say that, based on the context that Shuu uses, I believe it is someone who has a similar carefree emotional and mental state of being they have in others.”

“I don’t think I could ever be a dude.”

“Some people cannot be,” Shuten shook his head again. “I don’t believe I will ever exhibit that emotional state.”

“I pray to the kami I never become a dude,” Rajura said behind them.

As they got to the White Lotus shop, they saw the window opened and Rajura rapped on the side. He Xiangu came out as Naaza lay the flowers. He excitedly started chittering over them.

“He, we found these flowers, are they the ones you are looking for,” Naaza asked in Mandarin. 

“Yes, yes,” She replied, “they are, let me get you your money!”

“Wait,” Naaza called. “We may not be as interested in that as something else.”

“Oh?”

“I’m something of an herbalist myself and I would very much like to propagate these flowers if you do not have space to do so.”

“I do not, but I would love that.”

“Then, I would very much like to try myself.”

He bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yes, please, yes, please. Only if you bring some to me, please.”

Naaza smiled, “Of course, I’ve never encountered this species of flower, do you know its properties?”

“Ah, yes,” She replied. “It’s a rather potent nervine with sedative actions. A Yang tonic acting on the liver meridian. It almost guarantees to put people asleep, even in a weak tisane.”

“Hmm,” Naaza looked at the flower. “That’s new.”

“Yes, yes, new here.”

He nods, “Yes. I would like to propagate these flowers if we find any additional flowers, we’ll bring them back.”

“Since you are new, you need to know to propagate more, you will need nightmares.” She nodded.

“Really?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you have any medicine that would incite nightmares?” Naaza thought about who he would use that on.

He leaned in conspiratorially, “The rain produces nightmares.”

That made sense, “I was considering what would have made these plants diverge from the original state. Would they simply grow from being watered from the rain?”

“That’s part of it.”

“Alright, they need to be planted near a being that can dream.”

“And you need some soil of grief.”

“What is the soil of grief?”

“Graveyard soil would do,” He enjoyed teaching her new student. “Where things have died is grief.”

“And you would know where they sell that, I suppose?” Naaza asked. “And a pot?”

“The underground marketplace should have something.”

“Thank you. You have been very helpful.” Naaza bowed to He.

He opened her beak to say something more when the ominous roaring and screaming appeared. He’s beady eyes went wide and she quickly closed up the shop, leaving the group exposed outside. 

Ibaraki called out, pulling Shuu with him, “We can run to my store; it’s just a few blocks over!”

Shuu already was following, “That seems reasonable!”

“We must go now, run faster dudes!”

The group dove into the shop just as the spotlights started sweeping the street. Ibaraki barred the door and they hid behind cabinets and other debris. Aki dove into Ibaraki’s hair, getting tangled within.

Rajura tripped over some garbage, falling hard. He wished for his armor, knowing how he could disappear at will, loving everything that made it his own – and he vanished.

“WTF!” someone cried out.

Spotlights swept the building, coming in through the cracks in the windows. But, it was moving fast, definitely faster than last time, and rounded the corner within moments. 

Ibaraki sighed, “I think Hobart has found prey.”

“Sweet Jesus, fuck.” Shuu breathed out.

“We need to stay until it’s gone,” Ibaraki said quietly.

“Why did it come so early?” Shuten wondered.

Ibaraki pulled Aki out of his hair, “It’s usually gone for a longer time.”

Rajura’s voice called out, “I’m worried about the other group. That’s the direction where Hobart was heading.”

Shuu was worried for the group, but still poked the air approximately where Rajura’s voice was, “Dude, what the hell! Where did you go?”

Hobart continued to rumble, closing in on the black building and the other group.

Fortunately, the bottom of the black building was boarded up. The group inside noticed the ujigami flickering more than usual and they could hear Hobart approaching. It was coming fast.

Diya called out to them, “You need to stay inside. Come, we hide behind the front desk.” He slithered with the rest following. 

Touma took another look through the binoculars, switching to infrared. It was about a half-block away, moving to them fast. Its core was super-hot, white on the spectrum. His insides twisted, seeing it come straight for them, and he dove behind the desk with the others. He pressed against Diya’s tail (hmm, soft and warm) and Seiji’s back. He looked across at Anubisu, who had Kayura sheltered under him.

Diya whispered to Touma, “Did you see anything?”

Touma nodded and handed over the binoculars. Diya looked and said, “I guess there’s no driver, then.”

“That’s a safe assumption.”

The building shook as the heavy treads rumbled by, and they felt the vibration through the floor. And then it faded as Hobart moved off.

The ujigami reappeared, hovering over the group. “Is everyone okay?”

Diya extracted himself as they all got up. “Well, it’s been quite an eventful day.”

“How many times have you experienced Hobart?” Anubisu asked as Kayura still clung to his arm.

“Quite often,” Diya replied. “More than I could count. But, it showing up this often is unusual. It doesn’t show up this soon between appearances.

“So,” Touma pondered, “it’s pretty consistent coming every few weeks. It never appeared within a few days or hours before?”

“That is correct,” Diya answered, and Touma nodded. “It’s not necessarily consistent as on a schedule, but it’s usually between 5-7 days per occasion.”

“So, an approximation, okay.”

Seiji commented, “Everyone we’ve spoken to about Hobart says it goes weeks without appearances!”

"Yes, that is normally true, but I do not know why an aberration like this has happened!" 

Touma blinked, "What if it was us? I mean, we've killed evil dogs, and Seiji did a thundering call like a boss. Maybe it felt a shift in energy and came to see what's up?"

“Is it hunting something? Us?”

"Anything is possible?"

Diya interjected, “Didn’t your friends go somewhere else?”

“Oh shit, I forgot!” Touma cried.

Kayura nodded and joined him, “We definitely need to find them and make sure they are okay!”

He nodded to her, “We need to be careful walking out of the building because we don’t know where that thing went.” She nodded up at him.

“Here,” Diya said. “Take the binoculars with you and I’ll cover for you.”

“Thank you,” Seiji answered for Touma. “Has there been anything unusual happening here? We arrived the day before its previous appearance. Is there anything else you’ve detected?”

Diya shook his head, “No, this is an anomaly. I will make sure Nagendra is okay with you taking the binoculars. I think it will help you detect Hobart from a distance.”

Touma, smiling hugely and said, “I will take of these and do my best to bring them back, even though it will cause me pain being parted from them.”

He smirked at Touma, “Perhaps something can be negotiated when you come back.”

“I’m down for that.”

“Then, good luck, stay safe.” Diya waved them off, moving towards the stairs.

“We need to find some way to talk to the people entombed in it,” Seiji said after him, causing Diya to stop. 

“I don’t speak whatever language they speak.”

Touma answered, “They’re speaking English.”

Diya noted that down. “We don’t know how to get close enough to speak to it without getting killed.”

Shin wondered out loud, “So, we need to find a way to trap it.” He watched Kayura try to peek out the door. Touma came up behind her with the binoculars to see where Hobart went. 

“I think we can go now. I don’t see Hobart.” Touma announced. “Thank you, Diya. We will be back.”

“It was a pleasure, I’m sure,” Diya answered, watching them all sneak outside and dash down the street. He really did hope they would be okay. At least well enough to bring another raiju back.

~~~

Ibaraki heard the clatter of feet outside. His confusion drew him outside, catching the other’s attention. When Ibaraki yelled, “Dudes and not dudes!” They rushed over, hoping to see the others.

Touma skidded to a stop, the others following at Ibaraki’s call. Their relief was palpable as they saw the others approaching. Ibaraki motioned them inside. 

While Kayura ran up to Naaza, Anubisu asked Shuten where Rajura was. Ibaraki laughed, “Yes, your friend with the long white hair and one eye has disappeared.”

“I just can’t with this higgledy-piggledy magic shit anymore!” Shuu cried, flapping about at the air behind him. Shuten waved in his direction with a knowing smile.

Touma looked around a moment before lifting the binoculars. He flipped through several settings before seeing the outline behind Shuu. He saw Rajura wave, then flip a rude gesture at Shuu. Touma laughed, “These are the most awesome binoculars I’ve ever seen in my fucking life and I want them.”

“Oh, you’re talking like your friend over here.” Ibaraki pointed at Shuu, who laid on the floor. 

As they saw little dents forming and disappearing from his leg, Shuu said, “Touma is also a dude.” 

Ibaraki nodded as Touma said, “I’m not sure to be flattered or insulted.”

As Kayura wandered over to check on Shuu and the mysterious dents, she ran into the invisible Rajura. She cried out as unseen hands steadied her, but Rajura’s voice spoke close, “It’s okay, my Lady. I’m fine.”

“Oh!” She cried. “Why can’t I see you, Rajura-san. Did you get your armor back?”

A frustrated, “No,” was her answer.

Touma tapped her shoulder and handed her the binoculars. She held them up, seeing Rajura’s form, “Oh, there he is!” She waved, seeing him wave back. “These are truly miraculous glasses,” she continued as she started examining everything.

“Well,” Shin spoke out, “we found out what’s in the sky. It’s a whale.”

“A what?” Shuu lifted his head from the floor.

“Don’t lose your shit, Shuu,” Touma answered. 

“I’m sitting on a grubby convenience store floor, no offense Iba, you’ve been doing a great job at cleaning up, with no shirt on, we just ran from the horror tank, and you saw what?”

“A blue whale in the sky.”

“I remember you tell me they’re the biggest animal on earth.”

Shin beamed, “Yes! I’m so proud of you, Shuu!”

“And it's in the fucking sky?” Shuu’s voice squeaked and Shin nodded. Ibaraki scratched his ear at the tone. “I fucking hate this place.”

“Thank you for not saying to fuck everything in this place, I appreciate it,” Ibaraki told Shuu.

“Yes, I think we’ve come to an understanding we will not be fucking,” Shuu answered him before flopping back. Thinking, “Thank fucking god.”

“No,” Ibaraki agreed, “We are not compatible, romantically.”

“Not romantically or emotionally.”

“Please stop,” Shin said into the hand that hid his face. 

Seiji nodded along, “I think we missed something here.”

Touma was agreeing when his stomach rumbled loudly, causing several people to giggle. Shuu sat up, “So, if Hobart’s gone-gone, let’s hit up the dokkaebi shop for food!”

“Ya,” Touma agreed, looking through the binoculars for Hobart. He saw Rajura going to poke at Shuu again. “I think it’s safe to go out.” Then Shuu squeaked, followed by the slap of flesh.

Going out into the street, Touma asked, “Hey Kayura, are you okay with spicy food?”

Kayura blushed with the thought Touma was concerned for her, “Of course, Touma-san.”

“Before we go,” Naaza called out, “Can we pause somewhere so I can safely put these plants down?’

“You can leave them here,” Ibaraki offered. “Aki can protect them.”

Naaza looked at Aki, “He won’t set them ablaze, will he?”

“Not unless I tell him to.”

“Um, I don’t know.” 

Kayura ran back to Naaza, “What if we went back to the apartment?” she offered, clutching his arm.

He nodded, “That would be acceptable. We need to inform Yagyu-san of what has happened.” He shook Kayura off him, even as she snickered at him.

“Hey, Iba,” Ryo called, “Would you be able to meet us at the restaurant and get us a table?”

“I can do that.” He answered, looking proud to be assigned a task.

~~~

Nasuti jumped when the door opened. She didn’t see them from the windows and ran up, “Is everyone okay? I heard the tank thing!” Several people answered they were fine and okay, assuring her of their well-being. 

Touma pushed ahead, “You’ve got to see these things,” He handed the binoculars to someone who he knew would appreciate them. “These things have infrared and Kayura was able to warn us in time.” Kayura blushed again.

“Oh, let me see those!” She looked through them, figuring out on her own how to flip through the different levels. “Where did you get these?”

“One of the Naga was kind enough to loan them to me and we are actually in talks for getting me a pair. These are so impressive.” He answered, wanting them back.

“Oh, get two pairs, but that might be too much, though.” She continued looking around. 

“One for me and one for everyone else to share.”

“No, one for you and one for me.” She looked up with them, gasping at the clarity. “I so want one of these.”

“I know! Oh, and Shin found a whale swimming in the sky.”

“Excuse me,” She lowered the binoculars and stared at him. “You found a what, where?”

“I know, right!” Shuu piped in.

“I mean, we’ve been through a lot, and we did see a castle floating up there.” She shrugged.

“I didn’t see the thing, but apparently Shin saw a blue whale,” Touma said, and Shin nodded.

“That’s the biggest mammal on earth.”

“I know, right!” Shuu piped in as Touma and Shin agreed.

“Some 173 tons floating in clouds,” Touma finished.

“That’s unnerving, but okay,” She accepted it, like she accepted much of what the Youjakai did. 

Shuu poked Shin, “Are you going to make Disney princess noises at it?”

“No!”

Naaza moved in to place his flowers on the veranda. “We’re here to drop off the flowers and then find a meal,” he said simply.

“Oh, that sounds fantastic,” She agreed as Shuten walked up to her.

Touma nodded along, “We’re going to meet Iba at the dokkaebi restaurant.”

Nasuti looked around a bit more, “Wait, where’s Rajura?”

“Right here,” Rajura spoke in her ear as he dropped the spell, reappearing at her left shoulder. 

Nasuti screamed and threw the binoculars at him before jumping back, straight into Shuten’s arms. Rajura laughed at Shuten’s harsh glare as he moved off. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Shuten,” Nasuti said, blushing.

“It’s quite alright.”

“He’s an asshole.” She whispered, stepping back, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“I know.” He said with a sweet smile.

Nasuti breathed deep, “Just give me a moment for my heart to slow down, then we can go.”

Touma picked up the binoculars from where they bounced off Rajura. “Jesus,” He was relieved they weren’t broken.

Nasuti looked to Naaza, gently tending the flowers on the veranda. “What is he doing? I thought he was selling them?”

“He is familiar with plants and herbs and cultivating,” Shuten explained. “But,” he said with a bit of worry in his voice, “generally they’re cultivated for poison.”

“That’s concerning.”

Shuten nodded, “Well, what is poison but medicine that harms?”

Shin nodded, “The difference is the dosage.”

“I suppose.”

Shuu came out of the bedroom, now clad in a bad Engrish shirt with DBZ on it. Surprisingly, it fit.

“You’re finally presentable.” Seiji complimented.

“I know, my nips aren’t getting chafed!”

Nasuti rubbed her temples, unwilling to say anything, but Touma was. “Don’t worry, we’ll find you some pasties for your nips.”

“I demand tassels,” Shuu replied.

“I’m leaving now!” Nasuti called out loudly. 

The others followed, with Shuten waiting for Naaza. As Rajura walked by, he smirked at Shuten, “You’re welcome.”

He was confused at first, but then blushed when he realized he had been holding Nasuti. Taking on a stoic air, he didn’t want Rajura to know how it got to him. 

~~~

The dokkaebi shop was now open and beautifully decorated. Ibaraki pushed several tables together and had enough alcohol decorating the table for everyone. He called when he saw the others, “Look, look, we have the restaurant to ourselves!”

“Great!” Shuu answered him as he sat down in the middle across from Ibaraki.

“Sit, sit, I ordered a round of beer for everybody.”

“Oh, no,” Touma muttered. 

Kayura said to Rajura, “I don’t think I should have that.”

Shuu grabbed the bottle from where Kayura was sitting down at the end across from Nasuti, “Kayura can’t have any.” 

Shuten agreed, “She’s too young and too small, and therefore she won’t handle it well.”

Ibaraki nodded, “Then you get her portion, come drink with me, oni-brother.” 

He sighed, muttering, “I’m trying to get better.” He wanted to sit closer to Anubisu, who seemed to withdraw as they walked. But, Rajura waved him to the other side of Ibaraki. To the oni, Shuten answered, “I appreciate your offer, but recently, I’ve made myself sick on alcohol, I must abstain for a while.”

“Your smaller form has removed your ability to consume copious amounts of alcohol, I see.”

“Yes, being reborn, my body cannot handle this anymore.” Shuten replied, sitting reluctantly down.

Ibaraki shrugged, “More for me.” Shuten sighed as Ibaraki continued, “I got money from the spider women and paid for everyone’s meal ahead of time. We feast tonight!”

A dokkaebi came out, Shuu recognized him as the owner Kim Ra Jae. He handed out menus and, fortunately, they were written in Korean and Japanese. He wore the cute apron the sisters made. As he walked by Shuu, he patted him on the shoulder and said, “Good job, not get killed.”

Shuu gave him two thumbs up, “I am still alive, thank god, because I was afraid I was not going to get a chance to try this, but I def know what I want, too.

“You let me know what food you want, I bring you food.” He answered.

They all ordered food, with some drinking the beer and others ordering non-alcoholic drinks like tea for Seiji and Shin. Most of the food was family style: japchae, bulgogi variations, and many side dishes such as kimchi. For the Masho, it was familiar, and even Rajura commented on how beautiful the place was.

As Kim delivered the starters, Shuu waved him over, “So, as one who studies culinary arts to another, is there anything I can do to help you do well? My parents own a restaurant, and my uncle owns one. I just want to help because, you know, we’re the same people.”

“Hmmm,” Kim nodded. “You have reputation for doing great things. Make hound come back. Hound bring ingredients and we make more food.”

“What is the hound?” Seiji asked.

“Ya, why do you call it a hound?” Shuu also asked.

“Big, four legs, doggish – very big,” Kim answered.

“Oh, cool,” Shuu answered, “there’re dogs that aren’t nightmares.”

“Bigger than him?” Touma asked, pointing at Ibaraki.

Kim nodded, stretching his hands way up, “Big, big, big, thin, big, grey, big.”

“Is it a nice dog or like keukegen?” Shuu wondered.

“It not bite. Not have face to bite.” Kim nodded.

Shuu’s jaw dropped, “It doesn’t have a face!?”

“Very strange dog.”

“See,” Shuu pointed out, “I was on board with this dog. I was okay with just a big ass fucking dog, but now we have whales in the sky and the dog doesn’t have a fucking face!”

“Very big, very thin, grey, no face, jumps places, brings things.”

Seiji leaned over, past Shuu to ask Kim, “Is it a definite dog, or is it some sort of machine?”

“It dog.”

“It dog,” Shuu repeated. “So, where does the dog usually do its thing, and do we know why it stopped coming?”

“Thing in train tunnel,” Kim answered. “It plugged train tunnel, very fat, very angry.”

“Did you guys go into the tunnel, is that how you know?” Shin asked.

“It ate some my friends.” Rajura looked at Anubisu, as Kim said this, but the other man didn’t look up from his beer. 

“Oh, shit.” Both Touma and Shuu muttered together. 

“Very big, very angry. You make go away, hound come back.”

Shuu nodded, “Okay, we’re going to have to do that.”

“We have to do that to get to the train.” Then Touma repeated, “We have to find a way to get to the train, we have to get up to the clouds, there are two things we need.

Rajura added, “Perhaps the naga have some way of getting higher up in the air.”

“Or way of being obnoxiously loud. Shin can talk to the whale.” Shuu smiled at Shin, shot him a frown.

“I’m not Doctor Dolittle,” Shin replied. “Yet,” he thought to himself.

Touma poked at the binoculars in front of him, “You know, these have night vision.” He said off-handed before looking over at Kim, “What can you tell us about Hobart?”

Kim tutted, “It came one day, look different. Look different now than then, now moves slower, still screamed. Then thing in sky came.”

“So, the thing in the sky wasn’t always here, the whale?” Shuu asked.

“Yes, yes.”

“Did anything change around the time the whale came?” Shin asked.

“Agmong Golae whale name,” Kim said.

The rest looked at each other confused, but then Naaza spoke up, “It means nightmare whale.” He looked to Kim and spoke in Korean, “Is there a reason why you call it ‘nightmare whale?’”

Kim smiled and walked up to Naaza, “Now I don’t have to try to speak such an uncultured language. When the whale first appeared, all it did was scream. We figured it must be tormented by something. And, when it first showed up, there were no clouds. After it was screaming for a while, the clouds rolled in, and they never went away.” Naaza translated most of that for the others.

“Was it ever sunny here?” Shuu asked, sad he was losing his connection.

Naaza translated, “Kim says yes. When they first arrived, they could see the sun.”

“Wow.”

“Is the whale creating these clouds?” Shin asked.

“Yes, think so,” Then Kim turned to Naaza. “We think it is the progenitor of clouds and rain. Maybe, do you think you can wake it up? After finding the hound?”

Shin turned to Naaza, “Would you ask if he thinks it’s just asleep and having a nightmare?”

Kim replied he didn’t know. Shuu added, “Poor critter.”

“I’m sure He and I can create something to give this creature to stop the nightmare,” Naaza said.

“Yes,” Kim agreed. “One of my family members had picked up something from the hound many hundred years ago, and maybe that would help. They were told by that, with the hound, it was called the Beacon of Sorrow. But we have no idea what to do with it.”

“Beacon of Sorrow?” Shin asked after Naaza translated.

“Hey,” Shuu tapped Touma on the shoulder, “Maybe if it’s a beacon, maybe it’s a machine, and you can figure out what it does!”

“Would it be possible for us to see it,” Touma asked Kim.

“It down in marketplace.”

Nasuti sat forward, “We want to go to the marketplace after getting food.”

“Kim Byeong-Ho has the beacon. I’d describe what he looks like, but we all look similar.” Kim told Naaza, who nodded. A bell rang in the kitchen and Kim had to leave. He came back with a massive tray of entrees and set them around the table. 

“This is sooo good!!!” Ibaraki claimed, and others agreed. Kim looked proud.

Kayura was eating more daintily, “I agree. This is all so good.”

Touma related what he saw through the binoculars about Hobart. The others let him ramble a bit before Shuu stuffed his mouth with a dumpling, ending the speculation. 

Rajura put his chopsticks down, “So, according to the oracle, Suiko is in the sky, and perhaps it is tormenting the flying blue whale and creating the oily rain. And then we have Yami somewhere in the train tunnel, hating light, and possibly blocking the train from coming and going. And then we possibly have a heat thing inside of Hobart. What if the armors are stuck inside these different creatures, if you will? I don’t know how they are stuck or how to get them out. It sounds like Rekka is inside Hobart, Suiko is inside the whale, and Yami is inside the creature keeping the train from running. Maybe in the train itself.”

Touma looked at Ryo, “I had sort of the same thoughts.”

“Well fuck,” Shuu muttered, stuffing another dumpling in Touma’s mouth. 

"You think our armors have gone rogue?" Shin thought of the time Seiji was kidnapped.

Rajura shook his head, “I don’t know if I’d say the armors have the ability to go rogue, as much as perhaps someone has interfered with them and used them for purposes they weren’t necessarily built for.”

Ibaraki leaned to Shuten and asked what they were talking about. Shuten briefly explained about the armors and then had to squash Ibaraki’s hope of being reborn and getting a cool armor of his own. 

“You know,” Touma said, clearing the dumplings Shuu kept shoving on him. “It sounds a lot like a tindalos hound.” He looked around and saw blank faces. “You know, HP Lovecraft? Likes to appear in corners and angles, can jump dimensions?” Only blank stares came back. “I really wish I had internet right now.” He tried to draw the hound on a napkin. It was close enough to get the point across, but not detailed.

“I don’t think I want to be anywhere near a faceless dog,” Kayura said, taking the napkin as it was passed around.

“I don’t blame you. It’s not the scariest creature I’ve read about, but, um…” Touma answered.

Seiji asked, “I wonder about the American soldiers. How did they get here and what’s going on with them?”

Kim said to Naaza, “The soldiers came with Hobart, fused with Hobart. But another group came shortly after and seemed to be hunting Hobart. Most of them were torched, not that we miss them. The rest of them move around in small groups and have weapons. We don’t like them because they are hostile. You are the only humans we’re comfortable with.”

“Maybe we should go talk with them,” Shuu said. “Do we know where they are anymore? We know they went through some shit at the apartment complex, but has anyone gone to try to talk to them? Or where they went to?”

Shin asked Kim, “Do the dokkaebi have the sense that these soldiers were trying to reclaim Hobart or fighting against Hobart?”

“Don’t know,” Kim answered with a shrug. “We don’t speak their language. They seemed to move around strategically. They would shoot at Hobart, but whether they were trying to reclaim or destroy it, we don’t know. As to where the others are, the last time we heard, they were in the apartment building that was attacked, but we hadn’t seen them since.”

“Since there are other humans, we should at least check out the apartment complex to see what we can glean from it,” Shuten suggested.

Seiji drew a swastika on a napkin and showed it to Kim. “Do they wear anything like this?” When Kim shook his head no, Seiji drew an American flag, to which Kim said it looked familiar.

“If they are American from the war, that’s still not going to favor us if we go over there, but we should still try,” Touma said. 

“Ya,” Shuu agreed, “we should still talk to them.”

“At least to reassure them there are other humans in here,” Shin said. "But, I suggest those of us that do not look Japanese and speak English attempt to approach first."

"That might be a good idea,” Touma agreed. “I don't mind talking to them, but I don't think we need to take a bullet for it."

"Maybe we can make a sign," interjected Ryo to which Touma shrugged.

Shin looked over to the dokkaebi. "How are these other humans surviving? Come to think of it, how are you getting your supplies such as meat?"

Kim Ra Jae answered, "Is secret. Trade secret." He winked at Shuu.

"That's fair," Touma said. "Maybe we don't go to these other humans just yet..." he trailed off, looking at Shin, "Unless you want to turn into an animal and see if it's safe first? Do a little spying? ‘Cause if they are American, I'm not sure it's safe for us to go there given history and shit."

Shin shrugged. "It's a good idea depending on what state these other humans are in. If they're desperate and starving, I'd rather not be hunted down and eaten."

Shuu pondered for a bit. "Yeah, man. No one here lets them interact with the community... I mean, like, for good reason." He said, suggesting a gun with his thumb and index finger. "People tend not to be welcoming when you shoot at them. So, they may be in a tough place supply wise. But they're still people, man, and probably need help. Touma and I have played enough Call of Duty to know, though, if they're Americans, they're probably going to be trigger happy as fuck right now. A bunch of armed dudes rolling up on their hideout is bound to make those trigger fingers itchy. We should maybe only send, like, one or two of us up unarmed to actually explain what's going on to these guys and find out if they need anything."

“Without our armor to protect us, we need to be more cautious around firearms,” Seiji said, nodding. “I’ve been to America several times to visit my father’s family, so I could go.”

Shuu scratched his chin. "My English is still really good. I've gotten pretty Americanized as they said over there. I'd be willing to go chat with them, too."

"They might just be relieved to find other humans regardless," Shin suggested. "It's rather obvious they're not in 1940s Japan anymore."

Touma cringed, "I'd still like the area scoped out the area first. Maybe we wait a bit?"

Shuu wrinkled his brow; "But we don't know how or if they can get access to food and clean water? What if they start drinking the rain? I agree, man, that I don't wanna go in blind but-" the virtue of justice could be a heavyweight. Was it right to not lend aid where it may be desperately needed? "OH MY GOD, I JUST HAD GALAXY BRAIN!" He bellowed, pumping his fists in the air. "HEY, SHIN! You think GHOST FISHY could scope the place out? You can't get hurt because nothing can touch you! I remember because I tried to catch you to put you in water."

"Yeah. That could work." Shin agreed.

"If they got food and water for a while, we wait. If they're getting desperate, man, they might attack or raid someone for supplies. They could be really dangerous if they get desperate."

Ryo turned to the dokkaebi, "So where are these other humans located?"

Touma turned to Rajura, remembering him scaring Nasuti. "You've figured out how to turn invisible. Would you mind following Shin? You two can divide and conquer."

"Hmm, I suppose I could," Rajura then muttered something to himself about being far more clumsy without his armor.

"Thanks." Touma took the last bite of his meal.

Kim Ra Jae said to Naaza, "After their apartment building was scorched, if any of them survived, they probably moved buildings. Somewhere in the east, past the spider girls' shop. Keukegen run around over there quite a bit. It can be really dangerous at night. Jiangshi also." Naaza relayed the gist to the others

“I think the sisters had a request for someone to get the soldiers to stop harassing them on the job board,” Seiji added. “If Shin and Rajura can scout out the soldiers after we eat, we can spend the rest of the day planning everything out and approach them tomorrow,” Seiji said. “We can also make a more definitive list of what we need to support ourselves for a few weeks and start working on a plan to go after the armors we’ve identified.”

A thought struck Touma, "Shin? When we were up on the roof, could you sense your armor being any closer?" He then turned to Ryo, "And I hate to ask, but have you felt it the two times we've been close to Hobart?"

Shin nodded. "Yes. I thought I was drawn to it because of shock from seeing a whale in the sky, but it must have been my armor as well."

Ryo stopped eating, shocked. "Rekka was inside," he whispered.

"Great." His voice cracked a bit, "So we know where at least three of the armors are." He was starting to form a plan. It would be better to discuss it further at the apartment, when they were alone.

Seeing that the conversation seemed to slow to a somber halt Shuu decided that he did not want Bummed Out to be a seasoning for this most epic of barbeque. So, he decided to lighten the mood. "Hey! Iba, buddy! I got a query! We have WELL established that you're not interested in any of us-" (thank you to any god listening) "But like, say you wanted to find a honey to be sweet on? What's your type? Ol' Rei here is a master wingman. My last year and a half has maybe been drier than the fucking Gobi Desert but, like, I was always there for a bro to help him in his, uuuuuuh... courting. You know, making a friend look good so someone will give him a chance."

Ibaraki paused mid-chew and regarded Shuu oddly. The words “wingman,” “Gobi Desert,” and his odd use of the word “honey” perplexed the oni, but Ibaraki was learning so much in the presence of all these humans (and Demi-Humans, as Iba was not convinced about several members due to their scents). “My ideal mate? Hmm.”

Seiji stealthily slunk down in his seat and nudged the tea pot more in front of himself to try and hide from the conversation

Ibaraki was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment before turning back to Shuu triumphantly. “Beautiful and strong, I think! And can hold her drink well, at the very least! She would like to travel with me! Perhaps she has her own domain as well! Yes, yes. And, at least one horn. Definitely.”

Shuu scratched at his chin in thought. "Hmmm. Not met anyone like that yet. So, Iba likes him some powerful ladies. I can respect that. I'll keep my eyes open for you, buddy. If she's out there, I'll use all my charm to tell her about this AWESOME warrior who can fight all sorts of monsters with only a single hand. Or, like, man, if she's into the sensitive type, I'll tell her about Aki. Ladies, in my opinion, really like tall guys who take good care of their pets." He grinned.

Aki trilled in response, poking out from the oni’s hair. Iba smiled, proud of himself. “Mm, you are very kind, dude.”

Touma chuckled and shook his head as Shuu gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "It's what friends do for each other, man. Don't worry about it. I'm sure if the roles were reversed you'd do the same."

“Surely there is a... uh,” The oni stumbled for a moment, awkwardly inserting new vocabulary into his lexicon. “‘honey’ out there for you as well. So, Shuu-the-dude, what does your ideal mate look like, hmm?” He reached over to pour some tea into a cup, patting the table after replacing the many teapots from which to choose. Aki slithered down the oni’s arm to the cup and began to drink. “Aki’s favorite flavor tea is masala chai. He was my first friend after waking up here.”

Shuu was a little taken aback by the question. "Um. I'm not picky I guess. I don't care if they're a man or a woman -- getting that emotion sorted out was fun. But like, man, I don't know. I don't want to just fool around y'know? I want a companion. Like. Listen, man, the dream? For me at least? Someone who laughs at my jokes and wants to talk about cooking with me and, like... WANTS to go places with me and isn't embarrassed of me. Is EXCITED when they see me and feel happy when they see me..." wrinkling his brow a bit, he shrugged. "Maybe instead of wanting so much from a PERSON I should just get a dog, huh?" He joked.

As the light-hearted conversation continued, Anubisu’s mood darkened. The conversation brought up bad memories. Then, Shuu said he wanted a dog. Anubisu froze at that statement, remembering what Shuten said just days ago. Although his appetite was gone, he forced himself to eat, knowing food wasn’t exactly plentiful anymore. Maybe he could get drunk and forget the rest of this day.

“Look at us,” Iba lifted a cup of tea jovially. “Humans and oni eating together and talking about love. What a day this is. If you told me years ago that I would be sitting here with you tonight, I would have laughed!”

Shuten smiled softly over his own tea cup. Just proof that rarely is there a ‘Them’ and an ‘Us.’ When people are involved, we are all still just people. We have needs and wants and goals just like everyone else. You, Ibaraki, have come to understand this so easily and accepted it with minimum foot dragging. I'm very proud of you. Your empathy is likely your most powerful trait."

Ibaraki, having some alcohol and food in his stomach, was all smiles. “Ah, Shuten, are you trying to embarrass me? Perhaps I will ascend to be smaller and pretty sooner than I thought. Hmm. But I would like to retain my fierceness! Haha!” He raised a fist and beat his chest once, solidly, and snorted. 

"Shuu is small and fierce, so I'm sure that won't be a problem for you, Iba," Touma chuckled.

“Eh? Yes, that is true. Small but fierce. Does not smell like oni, but fights like oni. Hmm.” Ibaraki might have been a bit drunk. It was difficult to tell, especially since he might have been drinking before the group arrived.

“Yes, and you! Small archer cousin! We have the same hair, you and I. A very nice color! What would your ideal mate be like, hmm hmm?”

"What? Umm..." oh boy. Well that got awkward. Shit. Shit fuck. Touma shifted a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "I, um, I haven't given a lot of thought. Not a lot of girls where we are from are interested in someone like me. I'm too smart and awkward for my own damn good. So, I don't think that's in the cards for me. Heh… It's okay." Shrugging, he added, "I guess someone to play video games with wouldn't be so bad. Smart... oh geez I don't know."

Ibaraki leaned forward, towards Touma. “Ehhhh? The women where you are from do not like you? But you bathe! I would smell it if you did not!” The oni looked shocked at this information. “What is your homeland like, then? Perhaps you need a woman from somewhere else!”

Oh gods. Touma, unsure how to answer, just shrugged, holding his hands up, "Maybe. I don't know?"

“Bah.” snorted the oni. “Your homeland women have strange standards. So!” Ibaraki turned to Shin. “And you, merman? Is your ideal mate also a fish?”

Shin nearly choked on his tea. "I'm not attracted to fish, no," he chuckled, thinking about his orca pal, Suiki. "I don't really have an ideal type," he started, trying to decide how to explain an ace-demisexual spectrum to someone who prefers action over emotion. "What's more important for me is the mental part of a relationship."

“So, are we gonna head down to the marketplace?” Nasuti asked, interrupting the conversation before it turned to people she knew were uncomfortable. 

“Oh yeah, I wanna get down there too,” Touma replied, happy to be on another topic. 

And because Rajura was sitting closer to the two while Naaza was at the end of the table, he responded, “Naaza needs to get his pots and soil.”

“We're all going down, then?” Touma replied.

Shuten pointed to Ibaraki, “Someone should take him home.”

“As the person he trusts, it should be you,” Rajura answered with a smirk.

Shuten scowled but replied, “Very well. Then Kayura and I will go back to the apartment to meditate.”

“It would be the best for Suiko and me to visit the soldiers and see what is happening over there,” Rajura replied. Shin added his agreement.

“OK, the rest of us will go to the market. Is there anything you specifically want us to pick up for you?” Touma asked.

“I do not believe so,” Shuten replied before pulling the oni up on his feet. “Come on, let's get you back to your shop.”

Ibaraki stumbled to his feet, gushing about how good Shuten was. They made their way back to the shop as the group began heading towards the marketplace. “Shuten-doji, we are best friends, are we not?”

“We are good friends,” Shuten replied. He heard Kayura giggling behind him.

As they got to the shop, Shuten told Kayura to remain outside while he settled Ibaraki. As Kayura wandered off a little bit, Shuten helped Ibaraki to his mat. 

"Shuten, why is the one with one eye so pretty? I do not understand it. So pretty.” Ibarkai said as he was falling asleep. 

“Yes, I know,” Shuten said placatingly, praying Ibaraki did not remember this in the morning. Knowing the oni thought his brother-in-arms was “pretty” would haunt his nightmares.

“Nice butt, also. Very strange. Oh wait, it's a man. Awkward."

Now, he could not help but think of Rajura’s butt. And since they all have seen each other naked over the years, he knew exactly what it looked like under Rajura’s kimono. Fortunately, Ibaraki fell asleep. 

Shuten exited the shop, rubbing his temples. He sincerely hoped he could get that image out of his mind.


	24. Chapter 24

With the dimming light, Rajura and Shin stood on the street facing east - the direction of Nasuti's mansion. With the restaurant closing for cleanup, the city seemed to be getting quieter by the moment. Listening to the rhythm of this strange place, both men could hear doors being closed, windows being shuttered, movement down dark alleys. There was more life here than they knew.

The street stretched out from the city and into the surrounding residential area, past the convenience store scorched by Hobart. The apartment building where the dokkaebi last knew of the humans was back there too, somewhere. It would be easy to spot, given how destroyed it had been.

The rain came down in a light drizzle, coating everything in the city in an oily sheen.

Rajura kept any conversation in a quiet tone. "We'll have to beware of the things that hunt in the night while we're at this. There's no telling how long this new spell of mine lasts, so I will cast it only when we have the building in sight." He flicked his gaze to Shin, one of the few Troopers he had no real rapport with. "I would also advise that even in your spirit koi form that you try to stay hidden."

Shin nodded. "Right. Where do you want to reconvene after?"

The Masho paused for a moment to think. "In the unfortunate event that we're discovered, let us meet, say, three blocks away from them, in the direction we're coming from. If you connect with me via that telepathy, we should have no problem finding one another."

"Right. Let's head over then." As the pair made their way down the street, Shin did not see anything out of the ordinary. Empty streets, dark windows, and no wind. The rain was a quiet, if uncomfortable, pitter-patter. 

The convenience store they passed on the way in on their first night was coming up on their right side. It was long abandoned, the glass of the front windows having melting right out of their panes.

Rajura cast his gaze upwards, spying several surrounding buildings with melted exteriors and scorch marks around and behind the convenience store. Two appear to be apartment buildings, four stories tall. Rajura lowered his voice and gave Shin's shirt a small tug. "This way," he turned into an alleyway, far enough in that anyone watching would have lost sight of them. "I recognize the shop nearby with the scorch marks and there are several buildings with similar damage. A good place to start looking, I would say."

"Did you notice any signs of life?"

"No, but even if they aren't here now, we may find a lead as to where they've gone. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then, let's be off," Rajura waited for Shin to turn into the ghostly koi before making himself invisible. 

"If you'll take one of the housing buildings, I'll take the other." Shin nodded and activated his fish form.

Rajura’s form dissipated from sight quickly. Hundreds of years of training shone plainly as he silently strode up to the apartment building, whose main double doors were ajar. Inside were the remnants of a wall of residents’ mailboxes, some torn open by force. Old letters lay strewn about. A plant’s old corpse lay dry in its pot. The managerial desk was deserted.

The aged spider kept silent as he looked towards the desk. Rajura looked for lack of dust on any objects or letters that would give him a clue that someone had been here recently. Stepping over obstacles to ensure he wasn’t heard, Rajura found that the ground level public area seemed ransacked, but by who and when he wasn't sure.

Holding his breath, perhaps unconsciously, Rajura carefully stepped over broken glass and debris to avoid being heard. Several apartments appeared to be on the ground floor - 12 in all. Seven of the doors were ajar. Peering around each one, cloaked in this new but familiar power, Rajura found remnants of life - old clothing was strewn about haphazardly, empty tin cans, papers, a long-forgotten houseplant.

Someone had been around recently, that much was clear, but whether they were still here remained to be seen. Upon seeing or hearing no one moving around, the spider moved onto the second floor as quietly as he could. He would leave the search of the building for after he knew it was deserted.

Senses honed in on anything that could prove an obstacle to his prowling, it was sheer luck that Rajura hadn’t collided with the third door down the hall. It had swung open suddenly, and a muttering man had walked out into the hallway.

The door was a hair’s breadth away from Rajura’s nose.

Holding completely still, Rajura focused on keeping his breathing in check while watching what movement he could hear from beyond the door. The person’s footsteps were not as calculated as his own, and the man was carrying something that shifted every time he took a step.

A second set of footsteps joined the first, and another voice added to the muttering man’s, both hushed and raspy.

Rajura puts a healthy dose of space between him and the two men, careful not to trip on anything that would give him away. To Shin, he spoke quickly, “I found two of them, I believe. I'm not sure what they're doing, but I intend to follow them to find their base. Be on your guard, and there may be a few in your building as well.”

Unknown to the two, Shin's telepathy only worked within a short range.

Upon receiving no answer, Rajura mentally cursed. Of course, there would be complications. Still, he had the best lead he could ask for and he would follow it for as long as he could.

Shin, meanwhile, assumed the form of a spirit koi. His task was to search the apartment building on the opposite side of the alley. Its double doors weren’t standing open, but as Shin floated closer to it, he noticed his fins phased right through the solid metal.

He listened intently for any signs of life. "Not having a body might be helpful in this case," he thought. Listening as best he could at the door, Shin did not hear any movement from within. Shin continued to float through the building, looking for other humans. He floated through the building’s main floor, over scattered remains of modern life. Old cords, opened mail, drawing paper, plastic bags... all familiar shadows.

Unexpectedly, a chunk of cinder block came hurtling at Shin, passing through his ghostly body without resistance.

"What the hell," he queried. Shin turned around to the direction of the cinder block. 

Deep in the back of the room, two shadows hunched behind overturned furniture. They were speaking to each other in harsh whispers.

"What the hell is that?"

"Fuck if I know, Carl. It's just floating there."

"The block went right through it--"

"Glad I didn't waste bullets..."

"Please. I won't hurt you," he tried to plead with the humans while looking around for a place to hide. 

The two men continue to talk to one another in English. "Bucket, maybe?"

"I dunno, I don't think I wanna eat anything else here that we don't recognize."

"Fish is fish, though, Chadborne."

"Yeah, but you saw what happened to Fischer."

"Yep. Very glad I used this form." Shin thought as he watched the men.

One of the men crept from his hiding place to where Shin was floating in the air. Pointing a gun straight at the fish, the man approached very slowly.

"What's it doing, Carl?"

"....just floatin' here."

"Leave it alone. You know those hoppin' bastards will be out soon." Treading quickly passed Shin, the two men started towards the door.

Making their way to the main doors, Shin noticed both men had guns and were wearing camouflaged green uniforms, which did not work as well in a mostly-grey city. Helmets adorned their heads. Both looked back behind them to see if the strange fish was there, but Shin had ducked behind an overturned couch and hid.

As soon as the men made it out into the street, Shin followed behind, hiding whenever the men made a move to turn around.

Meanwhile, the two men Rajura had been following started moving downstairs, passing where the Masho had been standing stock-still. Blue eyes caught sight of them - green uniform, hard helmet, each carried a gun that Rajura did not know the make of. One had a sack that swung back and forth with each step he took. It looked to be filled with a few objects, but what they were, he could not tell.

The men spoke to each other in hushed tones. Every time they came to a corner, both would stand with their backs pressed to the wall while one peered around the corner.

They were making their way back to the entrance.

The Masho stayed on their trail, staying as quiet as possible and maintaining a respectable distance. He'd nearly been discovered once; there was no point in not continuing to be cautious.

Eventually, the four men met outside between the two buildings. The pair that left the apartment Shin was in were muttering and gesturing, waving their hand back and forth like a fish swimming.

Together, the group held up their guns and made their way further down the street, peering around every corner with extreme caution.

Rajura could feel a strange sensation in his mind once Shin came into view again.

“Suiko-san? Can you hear me now?” He spoke, trying to keep up with the men while updating Shin.

"I can. Can you hear me? I hope you're near enough to hear me."

“Yes, I can now. It would seem there is a range on this ability of yours. That would have been good to know earlier. I'm not sure how much longer this spell of invisibility will last, but we must learn where these men are staying. Are you still able to go on?”

"Yes. I believe I have another hour or so, though the timing is tough here."

“Then let's make sure we don't lose sight of them.” Now that they're in the open, Rajura put more distance between him and the soldiers while trying to keep them in sight.

Passing several buildings and heading deep into residential territory, the group of four stopped at one of the apartment buildings that had seen better days. The third floor boasted a vast hole in the wall facing Rajura and Shin. After speaking in hushed tones at the main entrance, the four disappeared within.

“This must be the place.” Rajura whispered to Shin. “Strange that they would choose a building with a giant hole in it. But mission accomplished. Now then...I realize your form doesn't afford you much in the way of being stealthy, but I would hate to send our envoys inside without any additional information we might be able to provide. Even just a headcount of how many there are would be better than nothing at all.”

"Right. I heard one mention they were rationing their bullets and they were possibly hungry. I'll go in and attempt a headcount."

“Shall I await your return somewhere...safer? I'd rather not take a bullet if you catch my drift.”

"Understood. I'll return to the original spot we were going to meet. If I'm not back in an hour...assume the worst."

Rajura nodded, then realized the other couldn't see it. He paused before the ghostly koi was too far out of range. “Be careful, Shin-san.”

Shin didn't consider lookouts, and why would he? One man, sitting up in a second-story window, had spotted the ghostly fish. Shin could hear the cocking of a gun as he floated along the street. Another man joined the first in the window.

Shin could at least hear movement in the building as he approached.

"---The fuck is that, Ray?"

"I dunno, but it's coming straight here. We have to move. Get everything packed up."

"Tonight? What about the hoppin' bastards and Fischer?" More movement could be heard as men set up station at the front door before Shin could get too close. They were aiming their guns at him.

Shin stopped dead in his tracks. "I know they can't hurt me in this form, but I don't want to make more problems. Should I abort," he questioned to himself.

The koi floated away, seemingly distracted by something else. The men were still on high alert. Disappearing through debris and utilizing his ability to phase through objects, Shin found a back entrance. Phasing through the door, Shin found himself in a utility room of sorts. Boxes were stacked on shelving, and a toolbox lay empty on a table. Treading carefully, Shin ducked behind a corner when he heard movement. In the next room, on a dirty old mattress, was another man. Thin, sweating, and shaking, he was being looked after by a second man. 

When the caregiver was distracted, Shin moved from room to room, counting how many men might have been inside: Two upstairs, one on the mattress, one tending to him, two by the front door, one in another room, opening cans with a knife - Seven total.

Being careful to avoid the two lookouts on the second floor, Shin opted to take the long route back to the meeting place. He could feel a strange sensation in his mind as if Rajura was nearby. Shin looked around to make sure the area was safe before returning to human form to wait for Rajura to reappear.

Almost instantly, the man released the spell keeping him invisible and looked to Suiko with a questioning look. "What happened?"

"There are seven total. One appears ill. They were talking about possibly relocating. We should meet up with the others to discuss what to do."

Rajura frowned. "Not good. We may need to pay them a visit sooner rather than later. I'd hate to have to try and track them down again with even fewer leads. Let's go," he didn't hesitate as he started them back towards the apartments while trying to keep out of sight of any night creatures.


	25. Chapter 25

Just before going down the stairs, Nasuti turned back to look up the street. There, she saw Shuten leaving Ibaraki’s shop, his face almost as bright as his hair. She watched as Kayura asked him a question, but he just pulled her along, obviously not wanting to answer anything.

Downstairs, the shops were as busy as they were the last time. Many different creatures were patronizing the various stalls, and those who had not been here before marveled at what they saw. Naaza read most of the signs, which were mostly in Korean. 

Seiji pulled out the money purse, opening it up to divide the funds. “Shuu, you said you were going to find some food, make sure it's something we would all eat.” he handed a stack of pesos to Shuu. “I'm going to look for some toiletries and sanitary items, things like soap and shampoo. If I can find some towels.” He handed Naaza and Nasuti some pesos, as well.

While Naaza wandered off on his own, Shuu was followed by Touma, and Ryo followed Nasuti. That left him and Anubisu.

Shuu found a great stand with various cans of vegetables, some packaged snack bars and some beans. If he recalled correctly, Shuten hated beans. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them and not enough vegetables. If people were going to eat, they were going to have to eat beans. Fortunately, the dokkaebi gave him a couple of bags to put everything in.

Shortly thereafter, Nasuti showed up with a few things around. She came right up to them and tossed a few things in the bag, holding up the last one. It was deodorant. “Do you have any idea how smelly you boys get?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

Nasuti hands Shuu the deodorant, “They have no idea what this is, they were trying to eat it!”

“Did you get all of it?” Touma asked.

“They only had four sticks.” He sounded rather disappointed 

“Do you think somebody's been eating this the whole time?” Shuu asked.

“I hope not. I think if they looked at it, they would know this isn't food.”

“But, you can't tell what these folk.”

“Are you being racist, Shuu?” Nasuti at him. 

Naaza ran into them. He was carrying three large flowerpots when he noticed them. “I would also like to get a large rain barrel,” he told them. “And you're the only one strong enough to haul it around,” Naaza pointed at Shuu.

“Lead the way, my man.” Shuu chuckled.

~~~

Anubisu followed Seiji down several aisles passing several stands. They were heading farther back into the dark corners, where less savory materials could usually be purchased. But, fortunately, they ended up finding a stall with what they needed. Seiji found most of what he was looking for, at Odds and Ends stand that it seemed at least somewhat respectable.

He walked over, picking up bars of soap and different detergents. As for himself, he didn't like a lot of shampoos that had fragrances, so he was hoping for something unscented or at least with a mild scent. The detergent was just a plain type, but all of the soaps had distinct flavors. 

Seiji heard Anubisu call to him and he held up a comb. Seiji nodded. Just farther down, he saw a basin with an old-fashioned washboard. The dokkaebi noticed his gaze and pointed to the basin and said, “I give 25 special deal.”

“We want several items. Can you do 10 for the basin and washboard if we buy more?” Seiji asked.

“Mmm, you buy lots, I give 15,” the dokkaebi answered.

Seiji nodded and began adding things to the basin. Soap, shampoo, towels, a brush, and the comb Anubisu found went in. He even found a razor, although there were only two additional blades. Some of them would need it, but by looking at Anubisu and not even seeing the hint of stubble, he doubted they would use it. The brief thought passed through his head: if the Masho didn’t age, did that mean their hair didn’t grow? It was looking like it.

Anubisu held up a soap on a rope, “I like the idea, but is it supposed to be a weapon?”

“It’s so you don't drop it.”

“OK then,” Anubisu answered. “Let's get it for Rajura. He had similar things on his armor.” He said with a wry grin. Seiji chuckled and agreed, so the soap on a rope was added to the basin. Seiji paid for the items as Anubisu gathered everything for them to move on.

~~~

They found an empty wine barrel several stalls down. Apparently, it was just being used to collect odds and ends, so they negotiated with the seller to buy it for a pittance. Shuu and Nasuti Loaded up the now empty wine barrel with their supplies. 

Touma called Shuu to check out a neighboring stall. He came over, followed by Nasuti, and Touma pointed out an interesting piece of jewelry. It was a necklace, with what looked like a glowing drop of water hanging at the end. Shuu joked around to Nasuti, asking if she wanted a necklace. 

“I think you need to check out the price,” she pointed to the little marker right above it. 50 Pesos.

“Oh, man,” Shuu muttered. Grabbing Naaza, much to his displeasure, he asked, “Dude, is it radioactive?”

“Is it what?” Naaza replied. 

“Just ask if they know what this pendant does.”

Naaza rolls his eyes but asks the vendor in Korean what the pendant does. He replied, “This is a magical pendant that purifies water.”

“Dude, ask him if it purifies the oily rain,” Shuu asked excitedly.

“Naturally.”

“Oh, fuck yeah.”

“How do we know this works?” Naaza asked. 

The dokkaebi pulled out about and then emptied a container of oily water into it. It was easily recognizable as the rainwater because of the sheen on it. The vendor picked up the pendant and simply dipped it in the water. A bright flash of blue or split second later, and the water lost the oily texture. The dokkaebi Picked up the bowl and drank it before saying, “See, it was exactly what I said. would you like to try?”

Naaza leaned into Shuu and whispered in his ear, “Do we really need this, we have Shin who can summon water.”

“Yeah, but that poops him out, I notice he gets all tired when he does that all day. This can really help.”

With a huff, Naaza said, “Far be it from me from dissuading you from doing anything, really, so as long as we aren't throwing all our hard-earned money away on one item.”

Shuu looked into the money purse that Seiji gave him. “Look, we have over 200 pesos left. This would help Shin.”

“I'm not in charge of the purse, so go ahead.”

“I will be accountable to Seiji for this purchase and ultimately, if I have to suffer his wrath, well, then I'll just deal with it then,” Shuu said. He handed out 50 pesos for the pendant and dropped it into the pile of their other stuff. 

The dokkaebi held out a paper and said, “Instructions.” 

Shuu groaned as he looked at the paper, seeing it was written in Korean. “Hey, help me translate this,” he had to Naaza. 

After reading the whole paper, Naaza asked, “Can I go now!”

“Yeah, I ain't your daddy.” 

“Thank you,” and Naaza wandered off. 

~~~

“Is there anything else you had on your mind to get? It might not be a bad idea to pick up…” but what Anubisu was saying faded off into nothingness as Seiji peered into one of the dark corners of the underground market. It drew him, like the dark caves that his armor once slept in.

A beautiful statue stood in the corner, worn, obviously very old. Marble carved exquisitely, the diaphanous cloth seeming to lay elegantly, even though it was all stone. She was crowned with a sunburst and she held her hand out, beckoning somebody near. Oh, how he wanted to take that hand.

It was just a shame that the whole corner was abandoned, covered in dust in spider webs. 

But, the voice beckoned him. Words he couldn't understand whispered in his ear. And although he looked around for danger, there was nothing around him, except for Anubisu, who was looking at him strangely.

In a burst of sunlight, the statue came to life. Like the dawn, light emerged and reached out, illuminating every dark corner. The marble hand reached out for Seiji, “Dearest paladin, will you help me, please?”

“Who are you?”

“I am Thesan, the goddess of the dawn.”

“Is this a trick?”

“This is no trick, young paladin.” She said softly.

Although Seiji wasn't sure if this was fake, he asked, “What do you need help with?”

“I've been long forgotten and have been wasting away in this corner. No one has come to take up my oath for so long. I wish to bring compassion and protection to this world and have had no one to assist me.”

“You seem to be talking to me just fine, does no one else hear you.”

“No. Only beings of light can hear me.”

Anubisu put down the basin and touched Seiji on the shoulder, “What are you talking to?”

Seiji waved to the statue, “She says only beings of light can see her.”

“It figures it would be you.”

Thesan continued talking over Anubisu. “I can tell by your soul that you are a righteous being and would become my disciple.”

“How can I help you, and why do you address me as ‘paladin?’”

“If you take up my cause, I will pass all my power onto you, and I ask that you protect the people of this strange land. Give them hope, just as the dawn brings hope and light.”

Still wary, Seiji asked, “In exchange for what?”

“Nothing,” She seemed to shake her head in negation. “It is simply my world to protect and bring hope and compassion to those less fortunate.”

“Power always has a cost.”

“I understand if you do not wish to take on these tenants. It is a lot to ask of anyone.”

“What would accepting this do to me? Would I be changed somehow?” Seiji could hear Anubisu asking something, but the goddess’s voice drowned it out.

“You would be granted my divine light and additional abilities, which you may not have access to as you are right now. You must take on the tenants of Honesty, Compassion, Protection, and Hope. If you break these laws, I shall retract my power.

“Very well, what do I do?”

“Take my hand.” 

Seiji reached out, taking the hand being offered. Somewhere far away, he could hear someone yelling no, but it didn't matter. He was filled with a warm, motherly feeling as if sunlight filled his whole being. For just a moment, as the incredible feeling of power settled in his chest, he could feel the sunlight burst from his body, illuminating everything around him with the light of the midday sun. 

His goddess smiled at him, thanking him for taking her oath and doing her will. “Whenever and wherever you see the divine sun, you may speak with me.” And with that, she faded back into a statue. 

As Seiji came back to himself, he noticed Anubisu a few steps away, rubbing his eyes as if in pain. He reached out, touching the other man on the arm, asking, “Are you alright?” only to have his hand smacked away. 

“What in the hell was that?” Anubisu snapped. 

“You didn't see anything?” Seiji asked, looking over at the statue. He was distracted from Anubisu’s answer by a small sun-shaped pendant lying at the goddess's feet. Bending over to pick it up, hurt his head. Random facts, spells, and all sorts of information were suddenly just there, and the pain was settling in right behind his eyes like the worst migraine he’d ever experienced.

As he picked it up, Anubisu asked, “Are you going to explain what's going on?”

“I think we should wait until we’re back at the apartment to talk about Her.”

"Her? You were talking to a statue then glowed." Anubisu snapped. "But I will respect your wishes and not say anything."

Seiji glared at him before walking away, but not before he caught Anubisu glaring back equally.

On the way back, they passed a rack with various items. Looking over them, Anubisu took note of a square box of matches. As the stall owner was occupied, and Seiji was moving farther away, he simply palmed the matches and continued, nodding to the stall owner on the way out. 

~~~

Shuu and the others were approaching an oddities stall when Naaza returned with a can and brush. The wicked smirk and the horrible chartreuse/neon yellow color on the can boded ill for some future plans.

After dumping them in the barrel Shuu was carrying, Naaza noticed the glass orb sitting on the stand at the table. He instantly recognized it as the beacon they were looking for, milky blue in color and about the size of a cantaloupe. 

“This is it,” he announced, looking at the orb. 

Touma came up to stand by his shoulder. As he looked into the glass, he was assailed with memories of his parents' divorce, the sound of slamming doors, and lying awake at night, crying, hoping at least one of them would come to see what was going on with him. Fighting through the memories, Touma asked, “So, we need that thing?”

Naaza Looked at him oddly from and noting the strained tone, “Supposedly, yes.”

“Okay, then,” Touma Shook his head and moved off, really not wanting to be around the thing.

A little dokkaebi came over and started explaining in Korean that the beacon was a very precious item and he would only part with it for 200 Pesos. After relaying that information to Touma, Naaza suggested it was something they could purchase another day.

Touma shrugged. “Or we could go out and do another quick job. I mean, we should get it as soon as we can. We need the Beacon of Sorrow to get to the whale.”

“Agreed, but at least we know it's here.”

“Maybe he'll take a down payment?” Touma suggested. “That way, we know he won't sell to somebody else.” 

Naaza went back and forth a couple of times with the stall owner before turning back around to Touma, “He said he'd take half and promises not to give it to anyone else.”

“Great!” He waved Shuu over and explained the situation. As Shuu began to dig through the purse, Touma wandered over to another. There, he found an old Game Boy among a bunch of junk and computer parts. As he looked through the various items, he realized most of them would never work and be sold as odds and ends. But the old Game Boy, that was something he was drawn to. And it even had a copy of Super Mario Land in it. He’d have so much fun with this and wanted to show Kayura. He was even surprised when he turned it on that it actually worked.

A little dokkaebi emerged, “20 Peso, And get extra food for five.”

“Extra food?”

“Extra food for rectangle.”

Touma seriously contemplated how to make this work. When Shuu came up and asked what he found, he tried to justify spending the 20 pesos. “It will make it, so I'm not bored and therefore not driving everybody crazy. Please?”

“Shit, it's worth it’s weight in gold, isn't it?” Shuu answered.

“We've been here for three to four days, and I know I’m driving everyone up the wall. Oh, and just think what will happen when we introduce Kayura to video games!”

Shuu smirked, “OK, I'm in.” 

“We don’t need it and can’t afford it, not with our other needs.” Seiji is suddenly there, swatting Touma to the back of the head. He gave Seiji a hurt look, but Seiji just replied, “No.”

Touma noticed the frazzled and pinched look Seiji had. “OK, man, am I driving you that far up the wall?”

“For once, you had nothing to do with it. We’ll talk about it when we get to the apartment.” Seiji grabbed Touma’s arm and attempted to drag him away. Touma struggled, so Seiji passed him over his shoulder, ignoring the surprise squawk that came out of his mouth. He could hear Shuu laughing in the background. 

Watching the two, Naaza leaned over to Anubisu and hissed, “If you ever try to do that with me, I will stab you.”

"You haven't been able to stab me before, I'm not worried." He replied.

Naaza glared at him, "You do realize 'stabbing' is the least painful thing I could do to you?"

"Of course." Anubisu smirked, "but, I'm still not worried."

"And why is that?"

"Other than we need each other to get our armors back, you've had plenty of opportunity and reason to. But you haven't."

"Opportunity, yes. Reason, no," he stated matter-of-factly. He didn't say anything more, letting the connotations settle into the wolf's brain.

Anubisu nodded, realizing that perhaps Naaza wasn't mad, he tried to help the day before after visiting the lab. He patted Naaza's shoulder and moved off, joining the rest of the group. To say more, Anubisu knew he would be pushing his luck.

Off to the side, Ryo and Nasuti were just returning. “You know, sometimes, we need to pick our battles more carefully.” Ryo simply nodded along.


	26. Chapter 26

The drizzling rain caused the group to get just wet enough to use the towels they found at the market. As the group sorted their finds, Shin and Rajura returned. Shuu handed them towels, to their surprise. 

“Well, we found them,” Rajura stated openly.

Shin nodded, “In short, we counted seven people; one of them does appear to be ill, so only six functioning. They are armed, and they, unfortunately, saw me, so they're probably going to leave soon for another hiding spot. Now would probably be the best time for us to try to approach.”

“Oh man,” Shuu moaned. “If someone’s hurt, it’s probably not the best time to move. I don't know where they would go.

“I didn't see any wounds,” Shin said. “He might just be ill, or maybe he drank the water.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“He'd be poisoned,” Touma said with a bit of horror in his voice.

“I mean, without looking at him, I don't think anyone could know,” Shuu said. “But, but that was something we were worried about. Did they seem to have food and water with them?”

“I was seen too quickly to be able to tell. But they were trying to kill and eat me like a fish, so I would assume not.”

“So, I mean, if they're desperate enough to eat those fish, we need to get to them sooner rather than later.” Shuu felt the need to help them. “Maybe take the five-gallon bucket of water. I mean, it can at least be a peace offering. And maybe some of the food.” Suddenly remembering the pendant, Shuu brightened. “Oh, by the way, Shin. I got something for you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” Shuu dug it out of the bin. “It's kinda girly looking, so don't judge, but,” he tossed the necklace to Shin. “I watched the dokkaebi stick it in a jar full of oily water, an’ boom! It was drinking water.”

“So, I don't have to make drinking water anymore?” Shin looked happy.

Now sure getting the pendant was the right thing to do, Shuu smiled, “Nope, the dokkaebi said it would turn up to 30 gallons of that shit into drinking water.”

“That will be very helpful.” Shin thanked Shuu.

“Ah, but here’s the caveat. It can only do it once per day.” Shuu finished.

“Big words,” Touma joked.

“Shut up.”

“So?” Shin interjected. “We can survive on less than 30 gallons per day.”

“And, you won't be pooped out all the time.”

Shin hugged Shuu, “Thanks.”

“No problem, mate,” Shuu patted him on the back. “But, we should probably fill that 5-gallon bucket up with some of the water from the bathtub and take it down to the troops and do some Red Cross shit.”

Touma asked, “So, who’s going to go?”

“De facto, I speak the best English.” Shuu decreed.

“De facto is Latin,” Touma corrected.

“Shut up.”

“I can speak it pretty well,” Seiji added. “When we visit my father’s side of the family, I have to. And I probably look the most non-Japanese.”

“I agree,” Shin said. “I can understand enough, so I’ll go with you.”

Ryo added, “You should have back up, so I’ll follow, but I’ll leave the talking to you guys.”

“Me too,” Touma added.

Rajura noted that Shuten hadn’t moved during the conversation despite Kayura giggling nearby, “The four of us, and our ladies will stay here.” He then went over to Shuten. Leaning in, he whispered, “Wake up.”

Shuten jumped slightly, waking up suddenly with a snort. Rajura smirked as laughter came from behind him. He pat Shuten on the head and walked away. Shuten watched him and what Ibaraki said to him earlier suddenly was all he could think of. 

“Shuten-san, why are you turning red?” Kayura asked innocently. 

Shuten covered his face, “Nothing, Lady Kayura, nothing.”

“It's getting dark outside,” Touma noted. “I wonder if it's safe enough to go over.”

Shin agreed, “One of them said something about hopping bastards that come out at night.”

“Maybe we should wait until morning,” Touma suggested. “Because if three strangers show up at night when it's not very safe outside, that could get very dangerous. Very bad, very quick.”

“I know,” Shuu nodded. “Chances are they can't move from their defensible position until morning anyway.”

“As much as I want to make sure they don't disappear into another hiding place,” Rajura put in. “I don’t want this group to have to go out at night and put everybody in danger.”

“Rajura is right,” Ryo added.

“First thing in the morning?” Shuu suggested to a chorus of groans.

Ryo nodded, “We’ll go first thing in the morning before they can break camp. We’ll get up as the sun rises and get to them as soon as possible.” Several of the others agreed.

“I have one more thing,” Seiji added. He told them of what the goddess said to him and how he simply knows stuff now.

“So, you gonna do some higgledy-piggledy shit now?” Shuu asked.

Seiji nodded, “It looks like it.”

Shuu huffed, “Great, don't rub that shit off on me.” 

Touma just shook his head and laughed. As they got ready for bed, he went out onto the balcony, looking around with his binoculars. He could see several heat signatures moving through the buildings, but he really couldn’t tell what they were. 

“Are you being a pervert out there,” Shuu’s voice came from behind him.

“Dude, that's not how infrared works.” Touma put down the binoculars.

“How am I supposed to know that? You're just sitting out there in the dark giggling, looking through your binoculars.”

“I'm excited about my binoculars.”

Shuu put his hands up in surrender. “OK, dude, chill, I was just making sure you weren't being a pervert.”

“You wanna take a look?”

“Sure,” Shuu said as he grabbed the binoculars. He had no problem being a pervert. But, he only saw a bunch of red blobs. “This is boring. There's no way you could be a pervert with this thing.”

“Well, duh.”

Just then, Shin opened the door and Shuu cried out happily, “Hey Shin, do you want to be a pervert?” A squeak came from behind Shin and they saw Kayura making her way swiftly to her bedroom.

Dink Dinkle – Dink Dinkle rang from Touma’s pant leg. They turned to look at the electronic sound as Touma pulled out his phone. “It’s Jun!” He cried and tried to answer. Static came through, making Touma look annoyed. “Jun, can you hear me?”

But still only static remained. “I don't know if you can hear me, but we're in another dimension or some shit!” Only static was his answer.

Touma looked at his phone, the battery was only at 40%, but he thought he might have a charger in the car. Shuu took the phone, bellowing loudly, but only getting static as a reply. Touma took back the phone and hung up the call. He tried a text but didn’t know if it would get through or not.

Kayura and Nasuti emerged, and the others were watching farther in. Shuu shrugged, “The dying cow noises were just me.” He said dejectedly.

“Are you dying?” Kayura asked.

Touma held up his phone, “My phone rang. Jun was trying to call us.”

“Your rectangle.”

“Yes, my magic rectangle,” Touma agreed. “Jun was trying to talk to us, but we can't fucking hear him.”

Kayura’s face held confusion. “But Jun is right there.” She pointed to the ujigami, who waved back.

“No, no, no, human Jun,” Shuu added.

“Do you remember the kid that always hung out with us, had the skateboard?” Touma asked.

“Oh, does he have a magical rectangle too?”

Shuu nodded, “Everyone has a magical rectangle.” Shin smirked behind him, knowing the Masho didn’t even know what phones were.

Ujigami Jun floated over to Touma, “You seem so sad, do you need a hug.”

Shuu patted him on the shoulder, “it was worth a shot, man, but I don't think you could hear you.”

“Okay, everyone,” Nasuti then called out. “Shuu, go fill the bucket with water for tomorrow morning. Then, everyone is going to get a bath, you boys stink. Any questions.” A chorus of polite, No Ma’ams followed. “Good, Kayura, you come here, we’re going to go first.”

Ryo and Shuu dug through the pile of stuff to find the soap Seiji got. Shuu pulled out the soap on a rope and giggled. Nodding over to the Masho, “Hey Rajura, hey Raj! Here, this looks like it fell off your armor!” He tossed it to the white-haired Masho.

The baleful glare he got in return only made Shuu giggle more. 

~~~

After having a relatively good day, Naaza cared for his new baby plants and then retired to the Masho's room for a little shut-eye. Compared to yesterday, he might have even considered the day's events to be pleasant.

As he made himself comfortable, he continued to relax, mentally listing what he would need to get done tomorrow.

~

Anubisu watched Naaza retreat to the bedroom. Talking to Naaza had been his idea, and would take any focus off him for the rest of the night. He looked over to Rajura, "Shall we get this over with?" He pointedly ignored Shuten.

Kayura wrung her hands nervously. She had prayed to Kaosu to try and keep them together, only to receive the feeling that Kaosu could do nothing about it. It was a truth Kayura didn’t like but had to accept.

Gently, Shuten placed a hand on Kayura's shoulder and whispered, "I have the utmost faith in you, Lady. We'll keep our family together." He said with confidence. Looking over at Anubisu, who had clearly refused to make eye contact with him since dinner, he internally added, 'By any means necessary, hm, Anubisu? '

Rajura gave him a determined nod. "Let's," he stated, leading their little charge into the room.

Naaza's piercing eyes flicked to the warlords as a passing glance; it was a shared room after all.

Anubisu followed them in, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against it, both blocking it and making sure no one else blocked it if he wanted to get out of this fast.

And then suddenly they were in the room with all eyes on him. Naaza, who had been at ease not so long ago, became rigid, his brow furrowed. He spoke cautiously, "What is it?"

"Merely a conversation," Shuten said simply, standing beside but slightly behind Lady Kayura. He wanted her to have faith in herself that came with standing on her own, but also the assurance that he was there, not far, and would support her.

Naaza sighed, shoving the sheets off. "If you're going to start talking about feelings again, allow me to leave; I've no desire to be involved." So much for a nearly perfect day.

"It’s a conversation with you, Naaza. I'm afraid you'll have to stay," Rajura stated.

The snake blinked owlishly, then scowled when he came to a conclusion. "Is this about yesterday? Because it's unnecessary. I'm fine now and I apologize for my outburst. There, end of discussion."

"Naaza," Kayura murmured. "...I... we care about you. We may not be as close-knit as the Troopers, but..."

This was difficult. She wanted just to blurt out how important Naaza was to her, how he was family, how devastated she'd be if he left to go on his own, how worried she was that he didn't have his armor to defend himself. All of them were more than capable fighters even without the armor, but this place held too many potentially deadly surprises.

She swallowed thickly. "Naaza, I don't know what happened in the black building, but I want to stand by you and support you however I can." Isn't that what family does?

The green-haired man eyed Anubisu with a quick glare before raising an eyebrow at Kayura. "Alright... I can't imagine why, but fine."

Feeling a little guilty, Anubisu stayed silent. He looked at Rajura, hoping he'd take charge.

"I believe what Kayura-sama is trying to get across is that we've heard about your wish to leave," the white-haired Masho explained. "We're worried about your safety if you do, considering we are all currently without our armor."

Naaza's gaze landed on Rajura, his voice hissing with venom of another kind. "Yeees, wouldn't want your precious healer to end up dead, would you?"

"That is irrelevant," The spider spat viciously, trying to keep his voice down. "You are one of us; that alone should be enough reason to want you to stay safe."

Green hair shook as he laughed. Laughed. It was born of incredulity, but it was still a very unfamiliar sound to those in the room. "Let's drop the farce, shall we? I'm here because I'm useful. That's just how it is, how it's always been," he shrugged, the laughter abating though there was still the hint of a smile. "I accepted that role a long time ago, and I will ever be committed to maintaining that. That's all there is to it."

"We're all here because we're useful. Being used is all we've ever known." Anubisu snapped. "At least sticking together, we know what to expect from each other." 

Kayura dropped her head, a failure. "Naaza, I... I don't know how to say it eloquently. You and Rajura and Shuten and Anubisu are like my family. I do not know what transpired while I was under Arago's control. I don't remember how I treated you."

There was so much she didn't know, so much she didn't remember. Arago had taken so much from all of them. "You mean a great deal to me, even if it's difficult for me to express it. I'm never sure what might make you angry instead of happy. Regardless, I enjoy your company..." She felt like such a failure. "Please don't leave. Not because of your healing, but because you're family. You're my family."

Naaza opened his mouth to retort at Anubisu but shut it once the Lady Ancient spoke. His face screwed up into an unreadable mess, but he was clearly uncomfortable as he looked away. 

He was rubbing the fingers of one hand together when he finally spoke slowly. “Family is...a difficult topic for me. I'm...not really sure how to feel about such a claim." He paused, then looked up at the girl. There was something in his eyes, though he didn't smile, a sort of relief about something. 

"But what I can say with certainty is that I, too, am never quite sure what reaction I may get from my words. I suppose that is something."

Shuten nodded gently. "We want you here for you. You may be a talented healer. But another healer of equal talent couldn't replace YOU. We were brought together and kept divided because we were so incredibly useful. I don't see why we should increase the divide between us that Arago worked so hard to maintain. You are our brother in arms, regardless of the individual families and social spheres we came from. It seems so pointless to adhere to them now."

It was Rajura that glanced at Shuten, furrowing his brow. He did not comment though it was clear his words had caught his attention.

Naaza shifted in his spot on the floor, trying to look at anything but them, then ran a hand through his wild hair. "If we're going to be here for some time, I am going to need quarters of my own. Not to get away from you all but because I'll need the space for my work."

Kayura thought that this was progress and a problem that might be solvable. "Perhaps we could ask the ujigami for another space? If there's extra in this building, they could lend it to us?"

Naaza sighed. "I suppose if that is my only option right now..."

"What would be a preferable option, Naaza-san?"

He frowned. "As far away from the n- black building as possible."

"I can ask Jun?” Kayura tried. “That way, we won't have to return to the black building to ask the rest of the ujigami. Perhaps they know of another building that could be used?"

"I...Yes. That would be...Yes," Naaza seemed taken aback at Kayura's indulgence of him, unsure of what else to say.

Unfortunately for him, Rajura was right there to kill the mood. "Kayura-sama, is this wise? Giving him another room here is reasonable, but we're all still out of our element in this place. I don't know that splitting us from the others is the best course of action right now."

Shuten pondered. "If the area is for research, perhaps Tenku could go along with him. I imagine, as a fellow man of science, Tenku would probably be the least bothersome, and we would not have to have the concern that someone would ambush one of our own as soon as he was alone."

Anubisu bit his tongue, wanting to remind them that when he had to go off to scout the oni, they were perfectly okay with him being alone. This family thing didn't seem to apply then. But, this was about Naaza. So, he said nothing.

Kayura sighed. "What about all of us moving to a larger space, some of which Naaza-san could use? We'd still all be together to lower the risk of ambush."

The white-haired Masho frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "As able as Tenku is, he's still wielding a half-rotted old bow. Half of us are equipped similarly or with small daggers, and some have been gifted with magic that we know little about how to use properly. Not to mention that we have no protective armor of any quality, good or bad."

Rajura then turned his one eye to Naaza. "Is this something you are willing to wait for? Or must it be now?"

The ex-warlord blinked slowly. "I'm fine here; it’s just...not ideal. I think I can handle being patient for a time."

The eldest nodded, then turned to the others and gave them a stern look. "Protecting the whole must take priority overindulging the desires of one," he looked away and moved to seat himself in his sleeping spot.

Kayura's head was filling with a proverbial to-do list: Find the armors, find a stable supply of food, tend to the Masho, meditate... She was thankful beyond words that they could stay together for at least another night. Turning back to Anubisu, Kayura bowed her head to him in thanks.

Anubisu nodded, "Goodnight, Lady." He moved to let her out.

"Ah, Anubisu-san, would you mind accompanying me for a moment, please?" She asked, stepping out of the room.

Noting the honorific change, Anubisu nodded, "As you wish, Lady."

She headed towards the balcony, which overlooked the city. Naaza's plants would be safe as she knew to stay well away from them. Once he was outside on the balcony, Kayura's demeanor relaxed. She didn't realize how tense she was. "...I don't know how to act around them, sometimes." she murmured. "But... I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I think... think that would have ended terribly." Rajura would be angry, but she needed to get past that. "Onii-san, I have a confession to make, and I don't know if Rajura-san would take it well."

Concerned, he asked, "There is little you could do that would turn us away. What is it?"

The priestess was quiet for a few moments, contemplating. Then, raising her head, she started to explain. "I've been trying to meditate nightly for insight as to how to get back home. Unfortunately, I haven't received any answers to that, but..." Her eyes drifted out to the cityscape with a frown. "Last night, I had a vision of somewhere else—a very tall building covered in black ropes and strange blinking lights. There was a figure there, a being with four arms. I was watching it, and it was watching a screen, much like Arago's... and I think it saw me."

Shocked, he paused, not knowing what to say. But, for Kayura's sake, "You've done nothing wrong. Tell me more about what you saw. Then, we can figure out how to tell the others."

"I... I don't really recognize much of it. Many black ropes, very thin, all lead to a screen which displays many buildings like this place, but... taller and thinner. The figure was tall, very svelte, with four arms and a crown of sorts. It felt... very hostile. I do not know what this place is, but I've a terrible feeling about it."

"Did you see anything else? Any other people? Any animals?"

Kayura shook her head. "No one else. No animals. Only the being and the screen, and part of the room in which it stood... I'm sorry, onii-san. That isn't very helpful, is it?"

He forced a smile, "Anything is helpful. Tell me about the figure. You said you thought it saw you. What did it look like?"

"It had no face, onii-san. I felt... condescension dripping from it. It reminded me of Badamon." Kayura closed her eyes, trying to remember the specifics of the vision. "It glowed almost. Like it was lit from within. Its face was triangular. No eyes, no mouth, no nose. All smooth... Its crown was golden and thin."

"Well, that's... Disturbing." Anubisu replied. "Was it holding anything?"

The priestess shook her head again. "Not that I saw, though it had four arms, bisected at the elbow. Very disturbing."

"Ya..." He leaned on the railing, looking over the city. "Did you see any markings on the mirror? And did you recognize any buildings or were they all these modern monstrosities?"

"They looked... worse than these buildings. Even less organic, I think. It made me quite homesick, even more so than here." She wished they could go home and the armors could follow them, but according to the oracle, that wasn't possible. "Onii-san, I wanted to apologize. I'm too much of a coward, I think."

He saw her, not as empress, but as a girl. He had to remember she was taken far too young and forced to grow. She was not an adult, but still a child. He thought about what he would have wanted at that age, rather than what he actually had. "It will be alright." he pulled her into a hug, as his grandmother would do for him, and by the gods, how long has it been since he even thought of her. "If you want, I will talk to Rajura. But, I do not want you meditating without one of us there anymore."

She hadn't known what to expect, but when Anubisu's arms wrapped around her, Kayura's shoulders started to shake. She was weeping. "N-no, it's that... that I'm too much of a coward to call you onii-san in front of Rajura-san... you... you risked your life with the oni, and deserve much more than what I can give you, An-nubisu..." She felt too young, too cowardly, too fragile to be of much use. She felt ashamed.

He didn't know what to do. The only sibling he knew was married off before he was old enough to understand what that meant, and nothing after could be considered family. He pet her hair, hoping it was soothing. "You can call me what you want whenever you want. I will take care of Rajura and whatever he might think. You don't need to worry about that. Now, do you want me to tell the others about what you saw?"

Face buried in his chest, Kayura uttered a few more sobs before catching her breath and steadying her breathing. "...no, I should be the one to do it—tomorrow night. I promise. I'll... tell everyone, I suppose. That would be most... wise, tactically. What do you think, onii-san?"

"Tactically, yes, it would be the most efficient. But I don't think that would be best." He looked at her puffy eyes. "I'll talk to them, and you sleep tonight. Then, after they have a chance to think about it, we can all talk about it together. They can take their frustrations out on me." He gave half a laugh, "that's what a big brother’s supposed to do, isn't it?" He asked, honestly not really knowing if that was true or not.

His question brought more tears to her eyes, but they were not of sadness. "I don't know if I had any siblings," she murmured, leaning against him slightly. "But... you're the best, onii-san."

"Then, it looks like we're figuring this one out together. Now, I want you to get some sleep." He waved her in. "Don't worry about Rajura; I'll deal with it."

Kayura nodded slowly. "I'll... I'll be better tomorrow. I hope you get some sleep, too, onii-san."

"That will depend on the others. Now, go." Watching her go, and making sure she went to her bedroom, Anubisu went back to the Masho's room. Looking at Rajura, he said, "We have another problem. Kayura may be having a creature here contact her during meditation. And she's frightened by it."

Shuten's face grew pensive. "Was she able to describe the creature?"

Some muscles in Rajura's face began to twitch. "What? When was this? And why hasn't she spoken to me about it?"

"Rajura, settle. She's safe." Anubisu then described the creature and her observations before bringing the conversation back to Kayura. "I told Kayura she's not to meditate without one of us with her. She's worried about disappointing us. This shift here has upset all of us, and she's taking too much responsibility. You can talk to her - tomorrow - after she's slept."

Rajura pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered under his breath. Then without another word, he grabbed the edge of his blanket and pulled it over himself.

Shuten nodded, "If she would like, I will offer to meditate with her. Perhaps she can guide me along the same path that she follows. Though, I am at war between wishing that she wouldn't wander and knowing that I can trust in her to know herself and her limits." It was a sore spot for Shuten. He was in no way envious or bitter towards the Lady. He had died for her once and would do it again without hesitating. But she knew herself in terms of her wants, desires, and goals so well. And was so committed to them. And here he sat... not knowing what he wanted from this new life he'd been given.

Watching Rajura end the conversation, Anubisu walked over to his blanket. Without looking at Shuten, he said, "Whatever. Just don't screw her over."

Shuten rubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. "Anubisu, I am trying to respect your privacy. I'm trying not to demand access to your feelings, given the demands and pressures that the demon put on you. But you are still clearly very angry with me. I am trying my very best to be better than that. I understand if there is nothing I can do and if I just need to give you more time and respect your space longer- but- I do recall you tend towards... bull-headedness." He confessed. "If there is something I can actively do, rather than wait and watch, to help you, then I would like to hear it. I cannot control the feelings of others, and I don't desire to control your feelings. But I also don't want you to poison yourself with them if I can help you to help yourself."

Anubisu glared at Shuten, "Just stop. Shut up. Drop the sanctimonious act and just leave me alone." He pulled the blanket around his shoulders. "You may be the best one of us to help Kayura with her meditations, just don't abandon her."

Shuten raised his chin somewhat, a very old expression on his face... very familiar in the days of him having been known as The Oni. "Get up." He demanded.

"What did you say?" Anubisu's heart skipped a beat, recognizing that tone.

Shuten glowered and stood to his feet. "I said: Get. Up. We need to speak in private." His tone was hard and brooking no-nonsense, but he was not budging until Anubisu stood. He saw Rajura and Naaza looking, but not willing to step into this fight.

"Very well," Anubisu pushed himself up, letting the blanket fall to the floor. "Lead the way, Oni."

Shuten scowled but didn't validate the dig with any further comment as he led Anubisu out to the balcony. "Alright. We have no audience. No more pretending. No pretenses. Out with it, now. We are settling this because to be fair, Anubisu, your attitude is testing my patience, and I am almost certain you're doing it on purpose."

"My attitude? Then it should be familiar since the last thing you remember is fighting us." He smirked recklessly. "Unless there's something you want to share?"

Shuten glowered. "That is the last thing I remember, and it haunts me!" He snarled. "THAT is my personal demon!" his fists clenched at his sides and shook with the effort of not just vibrating out of his own skin. "I got free, and I wanted to free you too. I didn't want to leave you under that monster's control anymore. And I'm..." he swallowed thickly. "I failed you. And I despise myself for not finding a way to save you and the Lady. But, now that you're free of Arago... I had hoped that I could make amends with the man you would become once you were free. Here you are - free. What pleasure do you get from rubbing salt in my wounds? Is it because I didn't save you from Arago? Because I got myself out first? Anubisu, I want us to respect each other, but your thick skull is making it impossible! Tell me what you want from me, damn it!"

"Yes, you got free." Anubisu spat in his face. "And since that’s what you want to talk about that, fine, let's go there. You left. You didn't tell us what you thought or wanted to do, and you were just gone. I would have followed you and helped the others get out, too. But, no, you had to do it on your own and use any public opportunity to get us to comply. And you know what that bastard did? He made it seem like this was all his plan. He told me he wanted you there, with them. That if I changed side, it was death - from either you or him. I wanted to get out and stay with the head of my family, which was you. And you abandoned us. I had one option to stay alive. You want to address that hurt, go ahead, give a good reason why I should trust you now?"

"IT WASN'T A CLEAN BREAK! I was confused! I am sorry that I made the wrong choice! I'm HUMAN! And Arago had his hooks so deep in me that I didn't fully remember what it was LIKE to be a person alone. I still don't know who or what I want to be! I broke away, and I left because I was confused. I didn't know if I was making the correct or wise choice! But as soon as I was sure... as soon as I knew... really trusted that I wouldn't just run back to Arago like a pet when things got hard... but I had to be removed from it for a time before I could trust myself. What good would it have done for me to take you with me at the risk of just returning? At betraying you? I'm sorry that I made the wrong choice from hindsight, but at the moment, I was trying to find out if I truly could be anything other than someone else's creature. And all I learned was that I couldn't be Arago's. I still don’t know if I will ever be my own man. And at least you have that, Anubisu. You are your own man. And that is what I feared of you then... and what I respect in you now. You are NO ONE'S creature. And I wish I could be more like that."

"No one wishes to be like me," Anubisu answered. "I don't even wish to be like me. You toss around the word ‘respect’ like candy. All I wanted then, and all I want now is..." He paused, not quite sure he wanted to say this, "I don't want to be abandoned for the next whim. At least, Arago promised that."

Shuten sighed softly. "I spent so much of my time refusing to respect people who had the potential to resist Arago... maybe now I’m just marveling at how much I have to learn? Anubisu..." he added, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "I am still confused. I'm still figuring it out. I'm going to make mistakes and say the wrong things by accident. But I can say that my ultimate loyalty is to you, and our brothers in there, and the Lady Kayura. No whim could take that away or replace it. You don't want to be abandoned, so please, don't make up your mind that I have before I've gotten the chance to foul it all up."

He shrugged off the hand. "I'll believe it when I see it. I've seen your face promise loyalty several times before and have been burned by it. I trust your anger more than I trust your promise of loyalty. Hit me, because I trust that you would do that more than protect me."

Shuten rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hit you, you thick-headed boar!" He groaned but did take it upon himself to flick Anubisu in the forehead. A frustrated senpai to an obstinate kohai. "You're really trying to tempt me to punch you? Why? What could that possibly solve? I don't see where anyone benefits from you getting a broken nose and me bruised knuckles. Least of all you when you have to ask Naaza to reset it. Were I in that place, I'd sooner let it heal crooked."

“Isn't that what you do to unruly dogs? Beat them until they comply?" The hurt from all the taunts coming back in full force and overriding good sense.

Shuten snorted. "You really are that dense..." he rolled his eyes. "Do you want to know why Arago kept you in the place he did and made me his right hand? He'd told me."

"Do enlighten me, oh leader."

Shuten leaned in. "And I quote: 'Wolves only obey the law of the pack. They have no need for masters.' I was the good dog. Master's favorite. Arago knew you were more loyal to us than him."

"And if you knew that, that I was more loyal to you than him, why leave? Why not tell us." Anubisu shouted.

Shuten growled: "Because a dog is more loyal to his master than he is his kennel mates. I was questioning. And I was actually having my first moment of concern for you lot. I didn't know if my defection would be permanent. I didn't know if I was just going to come groveling back. If I failed. If I was weak and crawled back, I had decided I would rather face my punishment alone than to force all of you to defect with me and share my punishment if I proved too weak. It'd be better if you were seen as never betraying Arago. Especially for you, Anubisu, because he felt that if you tasted freedom, you'd never be trustworthy again. Once I was certain that I could trust myself not to lead you to ruin... I tried to go back for you."

"I have a hard time believing you were protecting us." He responded. "Did you not trust any of us to choose that? That we would choose punishment for the taste of freedom? One day of freedom would have turned the whole tide of war! I would have wanted that!" He pushed Shuten away, "And now, all we have left is our use. It makes me so mad that even after being possessed and hurting people, that the only thing, the only thing people cared about is you. We're just not good enough!"

Shuten took the shove, only letting him be moved back out of Anubisu's arms reach. "It wasn't so much protection as it was a confused man trying to make, what he hoped, would be the best decision he could from the place he was in during the moment. People puffed me up to be perfect to you, Anubisu. But I’m not. I'm just a man. Flawed as any other. And I’m sorry that I can't be perfect. I can't control the way other people act or feel. Only the way I act. I don't know how to help you see that you have value as a man. But you do. Despite all the efforts of ancient spirits and selfish demons, you, as always, remain your own man. Shouldn't that be enough for you to feel worthy?"

"What are you talking about?" Confused by the way Shuten was describing him.

Shuten rubbed his face. "You are trying my patience to no end. Truly you are Kaosu's ultimate test to see if I can fully change." Releasing a long sigh. "You. Anubisu. Are no one's pet. The people who respect you don't respect you because of your usefulness, you half-pickled plum! Why are you going on and on about not being good enough? If you weren't good enough for me, why would I waste time standing outside on this greasy balcony shouting about my plentitude of shortcomings when we could be sleeping?"

"You pulled me out here!" He yelled back. "What is it you truly want? Forgiveness from me? For me to beg you for forgiveness? I think there's been enough on both sides that the tally would be endless. Or is there more? Is there something left of the demon that you need to excise?"

***

Meanwhile, back in the Mashos' room, Naaza groaned and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Don't we have to get up before dawn tomorrow?"

In reply, Rajura sighed. He'd given up on sleeping with half their number gone. "Yes, and those two could be bickering all night if we let them."

"We? I've had my fill of emotion-fueled chit-chat for today, thanks."

"If I refuse to get up, you'll really just endure it, won't you?"

"If not you or I, someone else will. I suppose living in close quarters with so many others might have its benefits after all."

"And its drawbacks," Rajura hefted another sigh as he forced himself to sit up. "Alright, I'll break it up. The last thing we need is to embarrass ourselves in front of the others."

***

Shuten begged the universe? The kami? The Buddha? The king of this land of New Jersey Kongo spoke of? Really anyone to give him some strength or patience. "I called you out here because I am fed up with being at each other's throats! I want us to get along and I'm trying to do it calmly! But you are being difficult!"

"You call this calm?" Anubisu asked. "You play the saintly resurrected hero. This is who you really are; the demon wasn't so far off. Is that why it chose me to torment? Did it see that in you? Do you hate me that much?" He advanced into Shuten's space.

Shuten didn't back off this time, and he stood his ground. "I want to be someone who is calm! I want to live up to that expectation! I want to be a better man than I was! It's not playing, it is an effort to change! I have no clue why the demon targeted you! I don't know if you were giving it something that it wanted or if it somehow knew that I wished I could be as independent a man like you and sought to undermine it? I don't know! I wasn't aware of what was going on while the demon had me!"

"Yet it acted so much like you," Anubisu answered, uncomfortably close, looking up at him. "What do you want? How am I to behave? What mask do you want me to put on, so you are comfortable?"

"To be frank? I just want you to genuinely not hate me. I want us to be able to talk without shouting. I want you to tell me, with no huffing or puffing or obfuscation, what do you need for me so that you can see me as just... a man... and so I can step out of the shadow of the me who was Arago's pet. That's it. That is literally all I want from you."

"Great," he then pushed Shuten again, waiting for more. "Leave me alone. Unless you like me hating you for what the demon did, back off."

"If that is your want. Then I will. Also, I don't care how much you shove me. I'm not going to be provoked into punching you. I don't know why you seem to want me to strike you so badly... but I’m not giving you what you want. I'm going to bed now." He said, straightening his back and going for the sliding door. 

Just as Shuten went for the door, he could see Rajura standing behind it, annoyance in his features. He hadn't been reaching for the door, but it was clear he'd been standing there listening. For how long?

Anubisu turned away, looking over the city. When Shuten didn't leave, he snapped, "What are you waiting for?"

The door slid open as Rajura opened it, forcing Shuten to take a few steps back and allow him onto the balcony. Instead of allowing the red-head back inside, the spider shut it with a soft click. He didn’t take his eye off either of them. "That would be me." Anubisu turned and looked at him.

Like a mother about to scold her children, the noble placed his hands on his hips and bared his stern gaze. "Do either of you two fucking idiots have even half a brain in those giant heads of yours?!

"Not only is it nearly the darkest part of the night, when we should all be sleeping to get up before the first rays of dawn, but you're both shouting loud enough for anyone or anything to hear you!" His own voice rose as his annoyance turned to anger. "If we haven't embarrassed ourselves in front of the Troopers by now, then you two have done it now. So, if I must treat and temper you as the children you act as, I shall!"

Rajura turned his fury to Anubisu first, "I sympathize with the fact that you've been through much. I do. But this incessant taunting of Shuten to prove something to yourself stops here and now! If you desire to be thrashed within an inch of your life, I will be happy to indulge your masochism in his stead; otherwise, shut the fuck up."

Then Rajura whirled on Shuten. "As for you? I understand how this must be frustrating for you, to continually have to be the receiver of his ire. But for now? Either you back the fuck off and leave him be or deal with the fact that he hates you. He is not going to be even remotely pleasant towards you any time soon. Accept it and move on. He will ease up when he is fucking ready to."

Without giving them much of a chance to retort, the Masho opened up the sliding door again, this time with a deal more force behind it but with a much more hushed tone. "The two of you are Generals, for the sake of fucking, I don't even know how anymore. ACT LIKE IT!!!" Then slammed it behind him to storm off to their room.

Successfully cowed, Shuten shuffled off behind Rajura to go to bed.

Anubis waited a few more minutes on the balcony, not wanting to face the others until they were mostly asleep. Once more, he leaned against the railing and looked out over the city. Something moved off to the side, just on the edge of his vision. Perhaps it wasn’t the best to be out at night, the sting of it was his armor was of the night and darkness – he should have felt at ease. Going back, the others didn’t move as he entered the room and settled down. He listened to their breathing for a while before sleep finally came.


	27. Chapter 27

Shuu paced around, strange thoughts going around in his head. This was so fucking unfathomably dumb… But, between catching a Raiju and getting my shirt ripped off and feeling super angry and then the situation with Hobart… Oh, and the hella uncomfortable misunderstanding with Iba!!! 

He knew what may help but he was embarrassed. “Was it weird?” He thought. “I don't want to be weird! But, like, this was also Shin, and we’re roommates and so, like, even if it's weird would Shin, like, bat an eye at it given all the other weird stuff in my life?”

"Hey... uh... buddy?" Shuu asked, looking up at Shin, where they were sitting in the room with their other three friends. "Can I ask you a judgment-free question?"

"Everything okay?" Shin answered.

He tensed. "Uh... yeah. Sure, everything's fine." He laughed a little too high pitched. Shin requires open communication. Fuuuck. Okay. "Well. No. Not everything. I'm still, like, low level pissed off from stuff that happened today. And I kinda don't want to carry that with me into a delicate conversation with armed Americans in the morning... y'know? So I was... ugh... okay that is gonna sound stupid, so you promise you're not gonna judge me, right?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at where Seiji was trying to wrangle Touma again, and Ryo was having a yuck-chuckle over it.

Shin smiled. "I won't judge. What can I do to help?"

Shuu made a frustrated noise and then just blurted out, "Can I ... Can I have some more kitty-time?" He winced.

Ryo turned his attention to Shuu. "Dude, Byakuen is in the other room. Why are you asking Shin?"

Shin chuckled. "Err... I can turn into a cat and other animals now in addition to the ghost koi."

Shuu made a face: "Because... well... I don't know? I got good brain jelly when Shin turned into a soft little critter. Maybe it's like part of his new magic aura or whatever? He vibrates with chill out energy, maybe?" He shrugged. He didn't know how this shit worked. "Look, dude. If it's too weird and you don't wanna, that is totally cool. I don't ever wanna make you feel like I expect you to do weird stuff for me. You're my bud. But, like, I can't know if it's weird unless I ask, y'know? But if it's too weird, man, you just say the word and I respect it."

"No. It's all right. I don't mind as long as the others are okay with it."

Touma momentarily forgot what he and Seiji had been debating about, "You want Shin to turn into a cat...? Why?"

Shuu puffed up a bit. "Because I'm struggling to get un-pissed off since I got here. I'm basically the Hulk, and I want to go into the talk tomorrow full Bruce Banner and Shin's kitty shape is like Anti-Gamma-Radiation." He said, making sure to speak Touma's language.

“It’s important not to interfere with meditation aids, especially for more inexperienced people like Shuu,” Seiji said serenely.

"You wanna pet the kitty, you pet the kitty." Touma chuckled. 

Shuu made a "boi" hand gesture at Touma. "Just you watch dude; you won't be able to say no once you see the little extra fuzzy bits on the tops of his ears. Shin figured out the Fibonacci of cat shapes."

"I'm starting to regret this," Shin commented.

"Shin and I are on good terms, but I don't think we're good enough that I want to pet his fluffy ears and say he's a good boy anymore that he wants me too." Touma held up his hands, "More kitty time for you two dudes. No offense, but I wouldn't even do that to Seiji and not just because I don’t want to die."

“It would be painful.” Seiji agreed.

Shuu grimaced. "Sorry. Maybe not the best attempt at a compliment?"

"It's fine. If you need some sort of animal therapy time and Bya just won't cut it, I'll turn into a cat. I'm curious how long it lasts anyway and what happens if I fall asleep as one." Without waiting for a reply, Shin allowed himself to turn into a cat for Shuu.

Gently Shuu pat the top of Shin's head. He didn't pick him up this time, seeing as no thirsty bush lady was trying to snuggle the air out of his tiny ginger body. Scratching the top of Shin's head and back behind his ears, Shuu sighed. "Thanks, Buddy. This actually helps a lot. Sorry to be a weirdo." A callused thumb rubbed against Shin's cheek, and Shuu felt a tightness in his jaw that he hadn't even known he'd been holding slack slightly.

Shuu released a gust of an exhale as he scratched the top of Shin's head. "See dude? Maybe it's more higglety pigglety magic bullshit but like... if you are pumping out 'chill out' radiation or something I guess that'll be the kind of weird magic I'll not squawk about." Shin must have used the perfect mental image of a cat. Shuu rubbed at the thick mane of fur on Shin's throat.

Shin tried to curl up as a loaf but found it uncomfortable. After trying other positions, he found his most comfortable position was a croissant.

Chapter 4X

Seiji felt the morning light flowing through his body like never before. He could feel the rising of the sun as it stretched out its rays, invisible behind the clouds, but he now was sure it was there. It felt like the goddess was smiling down on him and flooding his body with power. 

His mind journeyed through the vast new information acquired yesterday. Fortunately, the headache was gone, and he could think clearly. Between exploring the new spells he now knew he could cast, his mind wandered through what they were going through in this strange realm. He knew there was a purpose to this, and he hoped they all felt the blessings he did. The pleasant tingle that came with that thought affirmed he was meant to do everything the goddess asked of him. 

Thesan's light filled him and left him with the kind of sense of peace and serenity he'd sought for years to find. There was only one dark cloud amongst the light, the memory of snapping and glaring at Anubisu the day before at the market. It still stung some that Anubisu had scoffed at his description of meeting Thesan and receiving her blessing. Yet, even the headache the encounter had left him with didn't justify being cruel. 

He would need to apologize, and soon before any wounds caused by his cruelty were left to fester. An explanation could follow, should the Masho want it, but that was secondary to admitting to his mistake and mistreatment of the man. Their peace was still new and tentative; it was of vital importance that Seiji make an effort to strengthen their accord, not destroy it by lashing out. 

This resolve seemed to help the dark cloud of his earlier anger dissipate some, and he could sense Thesan's smiling approval at his new resolution. And that was good.

He opened his eyes to see Shin coming out of the bedroom, followed by Shuu, making his best impression of a zombie. It made him chuckle as Shin helped him to the bathroom to wash up a little. Seiji ventured into the bedroom and shook Ryo awake. Then, he whispered horrible, terrible sciency stuff in Touma’s ear until the discordance woke him up.

As Ryo and Seiji left the room, Shuu seemed much more awake. “Hey, I'm learning to live without coffee.”

“Maybe we can keep this routine when we go back home?” Shin added.

“Oh, boy, oh boy,” Shuu shook his head. “I don't know man, I will try it out, but I'm not making any promises once coffee is available to me again.”

“You know, you were the one lecturing Touma about the food pyramid.”

“Ah, Shin, why do you have to be right all the time? Fuck - dude. I can't do completely without caffeine. How about tea, tea’s healthy, right Seiji?”

At Seiji’s nod, Shin relented, “Yeah, that would be alright; you don't have to go completely without.”

Shuu brightened up, “Yeah, alright, dude, I do need something in the morning to get me going. And I'm like a zombie when I wake up. I mean, I'm not going to be like Touma, but I do need a little bit something to get my head out of my ass.”

“So, now you want to get your head out of your ass? Because usually those things aren't connected.” Nasuti stood in the doorway of her room, looking smug. The little ujigami floated around her.

Shuu pointed at her, “Don't pretend like you aren't missing coffee.”

“Oh, I do,” She laughed, “but I just don't talk about my head being in my ass.”

Shuu made some squeaking noises as Nasuti continued, patting him on the cheek, “Shuu, I love you, platonically.”

He barely got out the “Same.”

Kayura walked out, her hair quite askew, and chimes good morning. The others watch as she stumbled over to the last closed door and peered in. And almost as quickly she pulled out. “Maybe we should just let them sleep.” She said softly. 

Shuu opened his mouth to say something, but Nasuti reached out and just shut it.

“So,” Ryo started, “Seiji, Shuu, and Shin are going to talk with the soldiers, and Touma and I are going to be back up, right?”

“You got it, man,” Shuu confirmed.

“Good, Kayura, Nasuti,” Ryo looked to the two ladies, “take care of each other. And if anything happens, wake the Masho.”

“We’ll be fine, Ryo,” Nasuti smiled at him. “We’re big girls. We can handle it.” Kayura nodded next to him.

“Alright, then let’s move out.”

Nasuti and Kayura watched them leave before Kayura sighed. “I think they forgot that I’m a warrior, too.” 

“Let them,” Nasuti said comfortingly. “If they do all the hard work, then we don’t have to.” Both giggled.

~~~

Fortunately, it wasn’t raining this morning as the group sped through the town. Shin showed them the various alleys that led to the building the soldiers were in. They observed the scorched building, noting the blown-out windows and a whole section of the third floor that seemed to be missing.

“Seeing as my accent is probably the best,” Shuu started. “Should I yell out to announce us before we physically approach maybe? I don't wanna startle those people. You know what I'm saying?”

Shin snickered at him, “You wanna go up singing a song or something.”

“I just want to announce us, While we're still vaguely undercover.”

“That’s a good idea,” Seiji said to him.

Shin nodded as well, “When we go up, we should put our hands up, show them we're not armed.”

They nodded in agreement, and Ryo said, “Be careful.”

The trio hid just around a corner. “Hey,” He yelled, “we were told there are some humans here that could use assistance and supplies. We have supplies for you. Please do not shoot. We are approaching unarmed.”

Silence greeted them, so Shuu continued. “Three of us are approaching.” When still nothing happened, Shuu shrugged and looked to the other. “Okay, let’s go.”

They approached the door, putting their hands open and up, except for Shuu, who held the bucket of water. Seiji could just see a silhouette moving through the frosted door. “I see one them behind the door.”

“We have supplies for you.” Shuu tried again.

As they got closer to the door, it opened slightly, and a muzzle pointed out. They could see the green in the shadows behind the gun. Seiji spoke up, “I know you've been through a lot. We know things about where we are, and we would like to help you.” 

There was some hushed talk, too low for them to understand before the door opened farther. Two soldiers came out with their guns trained on them. The hard stare and unwavering grip on their weapons traced the three of them before glancing further up and down the street.

Seiji heard Shin gasp, probably because he had not seen a gun before, let alone be on the wrong side of one. But, Seiji was impressed by his strength when Shin said, “Please, we are unarmed, and we have water and supplies for you.”

The older of the men answered, “Who the hell are you?”

Shuu pointed to himself, “I’m Rei.” Shin also said his name.

“My name is also Ray,” he answered.

“Aye!” Shuu smiled brightly.

The gun swung to Seiji, “And you, blondie. Who are you, and where did you come from?”

“Seiji,” he replied. “We were dropped off in the West.”

Ray continued, “Do you know where we are?”

“Kinda sorta, yeah,” Shuu answered.

Seiji continued, “We're in a different world. We don't know how we came here, just that we are here.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth,” Shin added. His heart went out to them, seeing their sunken cheeks and how loose their clothes were.

“No, it’s like bullshit, boy,” Ray said to Shin.

“Seriously,” Shuu tried. “You’ve noticed how everything is higgledy-piggledy like fuck? Unnatural and bullshit?”

“Oh yeah, have you seen the monsters running around in here?” The second soldier said. 

Shuu glanced between him and Seiji; they have the same accent. “We've seen some weird stuff.”

Ray spoke up, “How did you survive if you’re so unarmed?”

“I kick the shit out of creepies with my hands and feet!” Shuu said proudly, brandishing his one fist.

Ray lowered his weapon slightly, “What's in the bucket?”

Shin answered, “Clean water. We were able to find some and-“

Ray cut him off, “Where were you able to find clean water?”

“There's a fountain in the hospital and we-“ Shuu was cut off.

“How did you get into the hospital?”

“I flexed, and I got the door open.”

“What?”

Seiji added, “Sh- Rei’s unusually strong, and he was able to force it open. Within, there's a spring open for anyone to take water.”

“No, the hospital’s full of demons,” the second soldier said.

The trio glanced at each other. “It was empty when we went there,” Shuu said.

Seiji nodded, “Many of the beings here will be friendly if you treat them well.”

“Yeah, some of these things are just weird looking people,” Shuu added.

Ray shook his head, “No, you were the first people that we run into that are alive.”

“Okay,” Shuu said, putting down the bucket. “So, here are some of the things we learned: some of the people here look like a monster, but speak and think like people. They just look scary.”

“You know that's utter bullshit, right?” the second soldier said.

“I mean, I think this whole place sucks, but yeah. I'm just trying to survive here, and I'm sure you guys are in the same boat.”

Ray nodded to the pack Shin was carrying. “Did you bring any medical supplies with you?” Shin nodded as Seiji held out a few cans of food. Shuu motioned to the water. “You Americans?”

“I'm Chinese, but I've been living the last year and a half in America,” Shuu said proudly.

“Where at?”

“New York City, baby.”

Ray looked skeptical. “Tell me about something about New York.”

“Something about…” Shuu didn’t know what changed in New York in the past seventy years. “OK, OK, it's big and loud, the best fucking pizza I've ever had.”

“Where do you get your pizza?”

“The best pizza ever is Lombardi's!”

“That Wop place on Spring?”

“Uh,” Shuu looked confused at the slang, “Ya, it’s on Spring Street.”

Ray nodded then looked at Shin. He had yet to relax his stance fully. “Sheen, that doesn't sound like an American name.”

“Well, he's not, but he’s my friend, and on our side, that's what matters,” Shuu added.

“And what about you, Blondie?”

“The American side of my family is from Texas.”

“Where in Texas,” the second soldier asked.

“An hour and a half outside of Waco, a small town called Jonesburg - population about 150 people,” Seiji answered.

“Holy fuck!” he yelled out, lowering his gun. “No fucking way, I grew up there!” Ray lowered his weapon, but didn’t quite relax. “The name’s Howard.”

“Awesome, so who wants some water?” Shuu asked, now relaxing. “I have some canned foods too, some of it is beans. We have some other people with us, and some of those people said kind of fuck you to beans, so we figured maybe you'd like some beans.”

Ray nodded, “You have no idea how much we’d just like some fucking food.”

“Here go, man,” Shuu and Seiji held up some cans. “We got about one can per person.”

Ray nodded towards the door, and Howard went back inside. Ray looked over the cans and water when Howard came back out. They Lead the group inside. Several other men were standing around, and it was apparent they set up base camp on the floor. A small cookstove stood off to the one side, and various pieces of equipment they huddled in a circle. Ray pointed out the other men, naming them Eugene, Leonard, and Carl. “Our commander, the only one left, is Robert Fisher. He's in serious condition, and we're not quite sure what to do. We're grateful for the food and water because the rest of us are heading his way.”

Shuu handed out some of the cans of food, showing the soldiers how to use the pull tab to get into the cans. Shin came up to Ray and said, “May I go take a look at Robert?”

Ray gave a real harsh look up and down. “No, but the blonde can.”

Shin was shocked, and the pinch of his brow showed his hurt, but he nodded. 

Ray sat down with his can of beans. “You know, since we got here, we've had a hell of a time, I hope you understand.”

“So, I have questions about that,” Shuu sat with him. “What happened before you got here?”

Poking at his beans, Ray wasn’t sure what to say.

“Look, we've seen some weird shit since we got here. Nothing you can say will surprise us.” Shuu tried.

“We were running our mission, which we’re not at liberty to disclose. Started off there were about 40 men on a couple tanks. We lost about 10 of them to the Jap bastards. We were cutting through the jungle when just like that, every one of us passed out. When we came to, we were here, wherever here is. Thirteen of us woke up over here, but just down the street, we found our tank. It was like a nightmare. Part of my team was welded, fused to the tank. I know those men. We keep trying to get ahold of Sam Pierson, but he's not responding to our call. He's the tank commander, and he should have been inside.” Ray shook his head.

“We couldn't even get close enough to help cut the men out. And we've been trying. Damn tank turned on us. Some unholy demon from this place’s taken over and killed more than half of us. Poor bastards on the front of the tank or as good as dead, and we just wanna give them the mercy of that final end.”

Shuu nodded, “Hobart. We've had to hide from it a couple of times since we've been here.”

“So, it hates you too?” 

“From what everyone says, it hates everything.”

Ray chewed his beans. “When we got here, we had 13 healthy guys left and, obviously, we’re down to the seven of us.”

“Was it Hobart that took out the other dudes, or was it…”

“Those hopping fuckers took out two of us.” Ray took another big bite.

“Hopping? Does it look like this?” Shuu demonstrated by putting his arms out to the side and hopping, almost like a pogo stick.

“The hell! You saw those things, too?”

“Not yet, but they're from my culture. They're called jiangshi – Chinese vampires.”

“Fuck me. We shot a couple of them, but they kept going.”

“Yeah, their undead,” Shuu sat back down. “They're not living, so you can't kill them like that.”

“Like, you know how incredibly stupid this sounds - like these things don't exist.”

“No, no,” Shuu waved, “I know what you mean but this place. This FU kind of place where shit like this that shouldn't exist. There's fucking evil dogs that make you sick if they bite you, there's whales in the sky that cry and make oily rain. We don't know exactly what this place is, but it's like loaded with the shit that normally shouldn't exist…” 

Shuu noticed Ray’s attention snap to him when he mentioned the dogs, but he trailed off as Ray paled. “Oh, you know what the dogs are.”

“We've been eating those dogs.”

“Oh, dear,” Shin chimed in.

Shuu stood straight up, “Dude! those dogs make you sick, man!”

Howard nodded, “We think that's what happened to Robert.” Several of the others agreed.

“Oh, man,” Shuu started pacing. “Let our buddy Seiji take a look at you all. But you can't eat them. They’ll make you sick, you'll die.”

“So, I guess I shouldn’t tell you we've also been drinking the rain, because what the hell else are we supposed to be drinking?” Howard continued. Ray told him to shut it.

“OMFG!” Shuu cried. “I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We got lucky, and we got to learn what's going on around here. And I’ve got a question for you; it's kind of important - when any guys got here, did you start to notice that you could do well, shit that you shouldn't be able to fucking do?”

Ray looked at Shuu, odd, “What the fuck you talking about?”

“Well, magic shit.”

“Magic ain't real.”

“I know,” Shuu whined, “but all kind of weird shit happens here.”

The soldiers look around at each other. “No, none of us can do anything especially strange.”

Ray cut in, “So, since you brought the medicine, do you think you can fix up old Fish?”

Seiji stood up, “We can try.” The one called Adam led him to the back. As soon as Seiji got there, he could see that the commander was both sick and poisoned. He seemed to be hallucinating, delirious, and shaking. He knew that one of his new powers could help clear out this dangerous malady.

Adam sat down next to the commander, and he noted Howard followed him in. “We’ve been trying to make him comfortable,” Adam said. “Our field medic committed suicide, so all we've had is some basic first aid. We’ve used up all our medical supplies.”

Seiji purposely laid his hands on the commander gently. Turning inwardly, he focused on removing the poison and illness. A warm, gentle light started emerging from his hands. He could hear Adam and Howard freaking out as they backed up, but Seiji focused on healing. Within moments, Roberts seemed to calm down and fall into a peaceful sleep. The color was coming back into his face.

As Seiji looked up, he noticed Adam completely freaked out. Turning, he saw several of the soldiers with their guns drawn and aimed at him. 

Shuu Put his hand on Ray's shoulder and said, “So, remember how I said sometimes people can do things that normally they can't do…”

Even Ray noted his commander seemed more at peace. “What did you do to our Lieutenant?”

“He healed him,” Shuu said simply.

“Fellows, we have mother fucking Jesus here.” Howard was looking at Seiji with awe, crossing himself and kissing his crucifix. 

Seiji nodded, letting the other man believe what he would. Several of the soldiers came up and shook Seiji's hand. 

“Look, we want to thank you, but we don't have anything that we can offer,” Ray said.

Shuu smiled broadly, “Well, there actually is.”

“What, you need a security detail?” Ray laughed. “But, seriously. Do you know how we can get out of here?”

“Right now, we know how we can get back, but we don't know how you guys can get back. It's different for you, right? I'm not going to lie to you, and this is going to be a hard conversation, but I need you to trust me.”

“And you ain't Jesus.”

“And I ain't no Jesus. I'm a short, kind-of thick Chinese man, who spent the last year and a half eating pizza and working in a hotel, I'm as real as it comes.”

Howard chimed in, “I didn't know Jesus was blonde, But I'm OK with it.”

“But, are you actually surprised?”

“Well, I thought he was a brunette, but that's just me.”

“Focus people,” Shuu clapped. “Anyway, this is what we learned about this place, it pulls the people who are here are drawn from different whens and different wheres, as well, and-“

“Whens?” Ray cut in. “What year is it?”

“Where I'm from? Can you sit down for this?”

“No, I'm standing,” Ray said forcefully. “What year is it?”

“2020.”

“Jesus, do you hear this?” Howard said to Seiji.

“My name is Seiji,” He said offhandedly as he pulled out his phone and turned it on. He started flipping through the pictures. He showed Howard and some of the other men pictures from his father's family's home. They could see the sign for Jonesboro and Gatesville, along with some recognizable attractions. 

“I recognize some of those things, but the future stuff…” He looked at Seiji, “You’re not making this up?”

Ray watched his men, notably Howard, one of the most honest ones of them. If he believed this blonde was telling the truth, especially about his hometown, he’d trust them as well. “It's 1943, where we come from.”

“Yeah, we figured.”

“The war, how did it end?”

“You won, man. We can't tell you the specifics, because it will fuck up the timeline, but you won.” Shuu told them. 

Ray smiled, “Hear that boys, we won. So, how do you get home?”

“So, we three and some other people that came here with us who are not with us right now, and you're going to promise me that you're not going to laugh at me, okay?”

“I can't guarantee that.” Ray shook his head. 

“That's okay, fine, alright. Sooo, where we're coming from, we've got these suits of armor, and there's nine of us, and these armors are part of a set.”

“Like knights in shining armor shit,” Howard asked.

“Kind of,” Shuu waggled his hand. “But these are the only nine armors that exist like that, and when we wear them, it allows us to do superhuman things. Like when I'm wearing it, I am super strong where I could probably pick your tank up with one hand.” Some of the soldiers look skeptical. “When Shin wears his, he can breathe underwater, and when Seiji wears his, he can bounce light.”

“He's Jesus. He can do whatever he wants.” Howard said reverently.

“Yes, he can do whatever he wants,” Shuu continued. “Now these armors, these super tech armors,” he said thinking of Touma.

“Like Superman?” The one called Eugene asked.

“Yeah, just like Superman. Super strength is my superpower, and one of our other dudes can fly.”

Ray nodded, “Okay, so you have to get all the Supermen together.”

“Yes, and I'm the only one that can wear the super-strong armor, and when we get them all together, we can go back to our home.”

“So, how do we get home,” Ray asked.

Shuu shrugged. “There’re some people we talked to, to get a hint at what we had to do. And this is the important part, what I'm trying to say. Some of the scariest things that you're meeting here, some of them are dangerous, some of them are ugly ass MF, but they are good people. We've been helped by people who don't look normal, but they're the only reason we've survived. And there are some specific people who we know specifically that won't hurt you and may help you, but you have to trust us a little bit, and we want to help. We don't want you to be left here, but you guys can’t stay here, you're sitting ducks.”

“Where are we supposed to go?”

“We’re currently staying in an apartment complex, one that is pretty safe,” Seiji said.

“All things considered,” Shuu continued. “Because there are none of those hopping fuckers that come around, and the place’s protected, but the things that live there and work there… they don't look like you; they don't look like me, but they are people still. And if you can be patient and try trusting some of them, they'll take care of you.”

“I’ll do whatever Jesus thinks is right,” Howard said, and one of the other soldiers threw a ball of paper garbage at him.

“If you learn to work with some of these people, they can help you learn how to protect yourself here. And make some money, um, pesos. You can get real food, water, equipment, and supplies.”

Ray nodded. “Give a minute to talk this over.” He and the others went to the back of the room, whispering. Several times one of them pointed up at the Troopers, and once they heard ‘Jesus.’ Shuu snickered and promised to tell Touma, to which Seiji glared.

They came back. “We’re in. You’re leading the way?”

They nodded, and Shin asked, “Do you have a stretcher to carry your commander?”

“We’ve just been doing a two-man carry,” Ray answered.

“Maybe we should get a tarp. Or I could carry him!”

Shin touched him on the arm, “Maybe the spider sisters have a cloth we can use.”

“Who are the spider sisters?”

“They made my pants!”

Ray looked at the pants and nodded, “We don't remember seeing any women around here.”

“Well, they look like women from the waist up, but are kind of spiders from the waist down, and you shot at them.”

“Oh, fuck me, them.”

“They’re people!” Shuu insisted. “They made my pants!”

“They're not people.”

“They're nice ladies, don't fuck with them.”

Ray sneered, “We have no intention of fucking them.”

“Hey, they're nice ladies, they just happen to have weird butts.” Shuu grabbed his own butt.

Howard set a duffle near the door, “Jesus said, we must love our neighbor.”

Seiji nodded, “Even if those neighbors have weird butts.”

“Enough,” Ray said. “We’ll trust you on this. If you get a stretcher, we’ll try seeing these spider butt ladies without shooting them.”

“Cool!” Shuu exclaimed, feeling like he won. “I'm gonna go get another two friends, so they can go get the stretcher.” Running outside, he approached Touma and Ryo, who were relieved. “OK, they’re a little edgy, but we got him primed. They are ready to accept some of the stuff - kind-of. And I need to tell you guys, so you don't fuck it up, okay? They think Seiji is the second coming of Jesus, and we're kind of just rolling with it.”

Touma burst out laughing. Even Ryo chuckled. “I’m not shitting you, man! There's a guy in there shooting Domino's and briskets thinking Seiji is the second coming of Jesus Christ!”

“What did he do?”

“He healed the one dude because they've been eating the keukegen and drinking the oily rain. We're going to get them to the apartments and get them accustomed to not living like this.”

“So, are they coming to our specific apartment or just to the complex?” Ryo asked, concerned for the others.

Shuu shook his head. “Right now, just back to the complex, and we're going to see what happens with the ujigami.”

“You're not wrong, but I can see how this can blow up in our face really fast,” Touma said as he changed Seiji’s name in his phone to Jesus.

“I know I know,” Shuu groaned. “But I'm doing the best with what I can with what we got. Okay, we want you to come say hi to them, and then we're gonna need you to run over to the spider sisters and get some cloth for a stretcher. And as much as Seiji healed him back there, he's really in bad shape, and we don't think he can walk out under his own steam.”

“Well, if they are eating the poison dogs and drinking the poison rain, I'm surprised any of them are standing.” Ryo sympathized.

Shuu cringed, “They’re what’s left.”

Touma nodded slowly, “Right.”

“There were originally 13.”

Touma nodded, “And are they also connected to Hobart as we suspected?”

“That's part of why they're no longer 13.”

“Well fuck me,” Touma muttered, while Ryo ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, that's why we're trying to get them out of here.” Shuu snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, jiangshi are also praying on them.”

Touma looked confused. “Wait a minute, isn't that what you were teasing your little sister with those weird vampire things to scare her that one time.”

Shuu put his arms out and hopped. “You see why it’s urgent?”

Touma agreed, “OK, I'll take Ryo and we’ll get going.”

“Hold up,” Shuu started dragging them to the soldiers, “Let's go shake hands, and then we'll send you off.”

As they entered, one of the soldiers said, “Damn, he's as skinny as us.”

Shuu answered, “Yeah, it’s because he doesn't stop running his mouth.” Even though Touma couldn’t understand what Shuu said, he understood the tone and flicked his ear. 

Howard asked if they knew Jesus too. Touma and Ryo smirked at Seiji, having only understood ‘Jesus.’ Seiji just bowed his head in embarrassment. 

Shuu continued, “Yes, they know and, these are part of the nine who had superpowers. This dude with the spiky hair can fly, and this dude here can survive in intense heat.”

“Well, hot damn, no pun intended,” Adam said. They all shook hands, and even though Touma and Ryo didn’t understand much of what was said, they did understand being thanked.

Ray cut in, “OK, can we get on this stretcher? We'd like to get out of here before nightfall.”

“Yeah, I’ll carry the stretcher, 'cause you guys have been through a lot.” Shuu offered.

Seiji asked if they could show him where they were keeping their food and water. Howard took him back to another room. It was trashed, and they did have a few old cans of food and a couple of plastic water bottles filled with oily water. Leaning down, Seiji used another spell and purified the food and water. “We can drink this safely now.”

“Did you transform it into wine?” Howard asked with a hushed tone. 

“No,” Seiji answered, brows furled. “It's just water with no poison.”

“Praise Jesus.”


	28. Chapter 28

Saori squealed with delight when she saw Ryo and Touma outside the door. She looked up and down the street for the rest of them, especially Rajura, before pulling them inside. As she poked and prodded them, making sure they were alright, Kasane joined her.

“Are you alright? Is Rajura alright? We saw Hobart go by and we were worried about your safety.”

Touma held his hands up, “We're fine, we're fine. And Rajura is just fine.”

“So, where is he?”

Touma snickered with Ryo, “We think he's still asleep.”

Saori nodded sagely, “Oh yes, he needs his beauty sleep.” Kasane just rolled her eyes, making the boys laugh harder.

“So,” Saori said firmly, “what brings you by here, do you need something?”

“Yes,” Ryo said with a big smile. “So we have some good news. We made some contact with the other humans and-“

“Did you get shot at?” Kasane looked worried. 

“I'm sorry, what?” Ryo asked.

Kasane repeated herself, but Ryo said No. Then Saori asked, “Did Rajura get shot at?”

“No, he didn't go with us,” Ryo answered as Saori made exaggerated relief sounds.

“So, these poor bast—um...” Touma said, “soldiers need help. We were wondering if you could spare some cloth or something because one of these guys is very bad off. They've been drinking the rain and eating the keukugen!”

“What!” Both sisters screamed at the same time.

Ryo nodded, “So, we're going to move them and teach them not to attack everybody in the city.”

Kasane smiled, “That would be very helpful.”

Touma agreed, “And apparently where they are is a bunch of jumping vampires, so we want to move them as quickly as possible.” As the sisters looked at each other then at him like he was crazy, he had the weirdest sense of incongruency – half-human/half-spiders and I’m the crazy one?

“Well,” Saori said cautiously. “We've been working on a hammock prototype for Ibaraki. It will not hold up for him, but it should work for a smaller human.”

“I'm down with that, what do you think Ryo?”

“Yeah, I think that would work well,” Ryo agreed. “He's way smaller than Ibaraki.”

Saori went to the back and came back with a bundle of cloth. “This one didn't work too well, and we're still trying to figure out the logistics because that boy is hefty. But you're welcome to take this one.” She handed the hammock to Ryo. 

“Great!”

“So, after you move them, could you come back here, please?”

“Sure,” Ryo called from under the fabric. 

“Could you bring Rajura back, please?”

Touma snickered again, “If he's awake.”

The sweet look on Saori’s face was priceless. “That would be wonderful.”

“I make no promises, but I will try,” Ryo said.

Saori nodded, “Well, when you come back, we did have that job posted, so we would like you to have the money for, you know, keeping the city safe.”

Touma’s mind jumped right to the Game Boy. “Sure! We’ll make sure Rajura comes along.”

“Okay,” Saori said with a big grin. “Stay safe.”

Ryo and Touma waved farewell to them. As the door closed, they could hear Kasane grumbling about liars and tricksters. The boys laughed a bit before running back to the others.

Getting back, the soldiers were relieved to see them and the hammock. They laid it out and began to bundle the commander up. Shuu came over, “I am prepared, yoke me!” To which he received several stares. Shuu’s face dropped, “Look, I'm really strong. I can handle it.”

Shuu and the one named Adam carried the commander, which the rest followed carrying supplies. Seiji led the way, closely followed by Ray. “We’ll let you know if anything we see is a threat, but most of what we'll see in the city is not. We want you to keep your sidearms holstered for now.”

Ray nodded. Seiji was able to point out various shops that were safe along the way. He particularly pointed out the Korean barbecue and Ibaraki’s shop, explicitly stating not to go there. Shuu called out he’d help translate if they needed to hit He’s apothecary.

By the time they got to the black building, the soldiers were already at the edge of their wits. Shuu got everyone’s attention, “OK, I just wanna let you know before we go in there, you're going to meet the landlords. Like I told you, shit is fucking weird here. The landlords are little tiny ghost people that have voices of children.”

The soldiers just stared at him like he grew two heads. “The landlords are dead people?” Ray asked.

Shuu’s face looked pained, “I think they’re dead children,” he whispered. 

“The landlords are dead children?”

Seiji waved Shuu quiet, “What matters is that they’re spirits, powerful ones, which can protect this area.”

“Yeah, and if you talk shit about your apartment, they shock you,” Shuu added. 

Seiji stopped them before heading to the apartment, “Actually, why don't you come inside so everyone here can meet the ujigami. We don't know if the others are awake yet, and we probably shouldn't surprise them with strangers at this point.”

“That’s for damn sure,” Shuu mumbled. 

“Why don’t you see if they can get their own apartment, and I’ll go up and let everyone know what’s going on?” Ryo suggested. They thought that was a good idea.

Going up to the front desk, Shuu called out, “Hey! Do you understand what I'm saying?”

The red ujigami flickered and said, “Are you OK?”

Shuu sighed, “Yeah.” He turned to the soldiers. “Looks like they don't speak English, so I'm going to translate for you.” 

Several of the soldiers nodded, but Howard whispered to Seiji, “Jesus, are you seeing this?”

Taking a calming breath, Seiji replied, “Yes, we’ve been dealing with these people for a while.”

“And they're good?”

Seiji nodded, “Yes, they treated us very well.”

“Okay, boys, Jesus says it's alright,” Howard called out. 

Mumbling, Seiji said, “I am not Jesus.” Some of the soldiers chuckled at that, but Howard didn’t hear him. 

Shuu leaned on the desk, “So, our friends here are in a tight spot, and they need a safe space to stay.”

“They are the humans,” the ujigami whispered with a touch of fear.

“Yeah, they’re those humans. We’ve been talking to them.”

The ujigami seemed to peak from around Shuu’s head. “They look scared.”

“They are scared,” Shuu agreed. “And we're working on that, too. We need to get them someplace safe so they can relax a little bit. And once they relax a little bit, they won't cause so much trouble. I think they're causing trouble because they're scared.”

“That's so sad.”

“Yeah,” Shuu tried to pet the ujigami. “So, where would be a safe place that you wouldn't mind us putting them?”

The little flame jumped up and down, “They can stay on the ground floor, and we have an open apartment for them!”

“Awesome, do they also have to get it cleaned up?”

“It is a little messy.” The ujigami seemed to go a little pink.

“Great, I'll let them know. Can you have one of them show us where to go.”

A little light blue ujigami flickered down from the front desk, passing through several of the soldiers. “Excuse me, pardon me.” It seemed to ignore the men jumping back and freaking out completely. It turned back around, almost waving. “Follow me!”

Surprisingly, the apartment they showed the soldiers was below the one they were staying in. It was just as cluttered and wrecked as the one they had. Ray asked Seiji, “Is that thing gonna take money or something?”

He shook his head. “It doesn't charge us, and the only thing it asks is that you take care of the property and don't mess anything up.”

“Or you get shocked, right?”

Shuu put the commander down on an old sofa and answered his question. “Yeah, but nothing too harsh. But I don't know if you have any little brother sisters, but when they run their socks on the floor and shock you, that’s what it’s like.”

“No, no, but my momma would hit me with a wooden spoon, and that's a shock,” Ray said.

“Yeah, I get the wooden spoon too.” Shuu knew that pain well. “But, it is not as bad as the wooden spoon.”

Shin pointed to some of the stuff as he helped the others get organized. “So, we were told when we were given access to ours that anything you find in the apartment now is technically yours. So long as we got things cleaned up. So technically, as much as this is messy and strewn around a bit, you are welcome to anything in the room.” The blue ujigami bounced in agreement.

Shuu tried petting the ujigami again, “And this little light blue guy will be living with you.”

“The dead kid?”

“Yeah, it's a dead kid, and we have a nice little green one that lives with us.”

“And they don't speak English,” Ray wanted clarification.

“No,” Shuu shook his head. “But, they seem to be aware when you don't feel well or when you feel sad. Like kind of how kids recognize when you're miserable and lend you their favorite toy to make you feel better. It's kind of like that.”

“But the dead kids.”

“Let it go, Elsa.” Shuu waved, “It’s not that spooky.”

Ray shook his head, “We've been in a war, dude.”

“Yeah, so, dead kids and ladies with spider asses would be nothing,” He trailed off as Ray flinched at the dead kids in war reference. “And I mean, you have a tank that screams at you. That's probably the most dangerous thing here, and that came with you, so that's gotta say something.”

Seiji waved Shuu off and pointed at a heavy desk on its side, “What we want is for you not to be shooting first and asking questions later. Try trusting a few of these unusual beings.”

Ray just nodded as Adam came over. He asked, “You had mentioned that you needed some help.”

“Actually, it was just that.”

“That's it? Don’t shoot things?” They watched Shuu lift the desk like it was nothing. 

Shin nodded, “Yeah, that's all we want.”

Seiji interjected, “You need to protect yourselves, but most people here aren’t dangerous to you.”

Adam and Ray shared a skeptical glance. “What's the catch?”

“No catch,” Shin answered. “It will be a benefit because you will survive.”

Ray huffed but turned to more practical matters. “So, you checked the perimeter, and everything is clear around here?”

“Just be back before dark.” Seiji said, “But, otherwise, it’s safe. And you’re safe in the building.”

“Sounds like a plan. So,” Ray said a bit hesitantly. “Do you have any more food to spare?”

The four Troopers looked at each other, as Shuu answered. “We don't, and we don't have a whole lot of money. But, some of the people here - did you meet the little lizard dudes?” He changed the topic quickly.

“What are they?”

“They are the dokaebbi, and they make the best barbecue outside of Texas.”

Howard laughed, “There ain't no good barbecue outside of Texas.”

“Yes, well, outside of Texas, it’s the best.”

Howard made a face, “No way, the little lizard dudes do that!”

“Yeah, and they're all part of the same family, they're all Kim!

“Kim?”

“Their last name is Kim, they have different first names, but they're all part of the same family.”

“More importantly,” Touma added for clarification. “In the extended family, they have just about everything you could possibly need. The challenge will be being able to find a job so you can get cash to buy things from them.”

“One thing at a time,” Ray cautioned. “We have to tend to old fish here and get some food in our bellies and some deep sleep.”

“Yeah,” Shuu said. “Ah, if you need clothes, the spider sisters you shot at, they’re actually really, really nice girls.”

Ray held up his hands, “One thing at a time, right?”

Shuu nodded, “Yeah, we get that, it still took us a day before we started to figure things out, and we had help.”

Shin nodded along, “And we spoke the language.”

“You’re fine people,” Howard said. “We don't know how to thank you for your kindness.”

“We want to protect the area from the actual monsters and all the people who live here,” Seiji said. Shuu looked at him askew.

“Anything Jesus says,” Howard muttered.

Shuu shook his head. “Also, if you see a big dude with blue hair, horns, and only one arm, don't shoot him; he's a friend of ours.”

The soldiers looked at him in shock, “That thing is your friend?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, dude.”

“And he’s still alive?”

Shuu nodded proudly, “And he only lost one arm when battling Hobart.”

Ray shook his head, “We thought for sure he was dead.”

Shuu laughed, “Yeah, he's a tough-ass mother fucker. He's actually fought a couple of battles with us while we've been here. He's the only thing Hobart hasn't destroyed.”

Ray sat down hard. “This is hard to fathom. I think we're gonna try and get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Shuu agreed. “Just don't drink any more of the oily rain. If you need more, come up to the apartment. We figured out a way to make water.”

“How do you make water?” Ray asked. 

Shuu smiled brightly, “Well… Hey, Shin, why don't you go fill up one of the bathtubs?”

Shin nodded before asking them to show him to the bathroom. Once there, he muttered aquamenti and the bathtub filled with water. Howard’s scream rang through the apartment, “Holy fuckin shit, we have a second Jesus!”

~~~

Back at the apartment, Kayura took her job of guarding the door to the Masho room quite seriously… even if she was falling asleep standing up. Nasuti tried to get her to sit down, knowing only the six of them, the four Masho and two women, were in the apartment. 

Ryo came up, then, telling them of what went on with the soldiers. He suggested getting the Masho up, so they had their full resources when something went wrong. As Nasuti said, prepare, because it probably will happen with these boys.

Inside the dark room, Kayura shook the lump of blankets that she guessed was Anubisu. “Onii-san… Wake up, please, pretty please?” It gave under her touch, and she heard a slurred, “I'm up, I'm up.”

She quickly explained in a hushed tone that the human soldiers are now downstairs, and Ryo wanted them all to wake up. “We obviously missed something, didn't we?” He muttered.

“Well, they woke me up, but they went out at the crack of dawn to go visit the soldiers and apparently convinced them to move in downstairs, and it worries me,” Kayura said quietly.

Anubisu gave her a strained look before muttering, “Children.” He shook his head and looked to the others. “All right, let's get the others up.”

Kayura bounced over to Rajura, shaking him liberally, “Wake up, Rajura-san!” She chirped.

“I'm up. I'm up. What time is it?” he muttered, pulling the blanket further over his head. 

“I don't know. It's morning!” She said too brightly.

“Alright, let's get up and get going get this over with.” He answered, pushing the blankets down forcibly.

Kayura giggled. “Everyone is downstairs waiting.” She moved over to Shuten.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Shuten-san...” She tugged on his ear again. 

“Lady Kayura, is there something I can help you with?” Shuten growled.

“Rekka-san wants us to know that the soldiers are now downstairs.”

“Are they threatening us?”

“No, they're not threatening us, but they have guns,” Kayura said.

“Are they threatening us with the guns?” Came out a bit more sleepy.

“Not yet,” she answered. But, then there was no response.

Anubisu shook Naaza’s shoulder. “Wake up. You have to wake up.” Mumbled words and half-formed sounds emerged from the blankets. Anubisu continued, “There are people downstairs who want to kill us.”

Naaza sat up quickly, “What?”

Nodding, Anubisu answered, “Good, you're up. Come out so we can figure out what's going on.”

“Alright, I'm up, what a thing to wake up to?” Naaza muttered, half falling back asleep.

As they all gathered in the living room, Ryo explained what was going on and how the soldiers were downstairs and now friendly. But, he explained that maybe the Masho should avoid them for the time being. “Shuu convinced them that we don't mean them any harm, but they're still a bit scared. They don't speak any Japanese, only English, and they're going to be staying downstairs.

“And why are they staying downstairs?” Rajura asked.

“Because they needed help, and that's what we do.” Ryo shrugged.

“Sure,” Rajura continued. “But, why so close to us.”

When Ryo didn’t know how to respond, Kayura added, “I appreciate how willing the troopers are to help, but I worry about the safety of everyone else.” She wanted to call them her boys, like Nasuti, called the Troopers her boys. But, she hesitated.

“Look,” Ryo tried. “Let’s try slow introductions. Come down to talk to them so that we can introduce everybody. They think Seiji is Jesus.” Ryo laughed.

“Who is Jesus?” Naaza asked.

“Yes, this is a name I've heard before.” Rajura tried remembering where he heard it before.

“Wait,” Anubisu added, “Wasn't that part of the religion the daimyo were trying to stamp out?”

Nasuti started laughing. “What’s so funny?” Ryo asked.

“So, in Christianity, Jesus is the savior of all humanity,” Nasuti explained before breaking down into more giggles. 

“Oh, Kami,” Ryo said.

“Do they really think he's Jesus?” Nasuti asked.

Ryo shrugged. “Apparently, he healed one of them.”

Chuckles became gut-busting laughter from Nasuti. Kayura looked between her and Ryo, “I’m really confused.” She said.

Ryo shrugged. “At least, they're not going to go around shooting everybody!”

“Hey, the sisters would like someone to stop by the shop, and they specifically requested Rajura,” Touma said, changing the topic. He started chuckling as Rajura pinched his nose. “Hey, man, your Boo wants to see you, and we need money!”

“This is a lovely morning, isn't it?” Rajura sighed. He motioned for Touma to lead the way, and both headed to the shop.

They were bowled over as soon as they got close to the shop. Saori rapidly asked if Rajura was okay and that they saw Hobard, and she immediately thought of him and desperately hoped he was okay. 

Rajura tried placating her, “Yes, yes, I'm fine, Lady Saori. I'm fine, everyone's fine.”

“Good, good. Oh!” Saori scuttled to take the purse of money. “Here. Now, you buy something nice for yourself.”

Rajura bowed. “Yes, Lady, I shall.” He saw Kasane shaking her head in the back as Touma snickered behind him.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” Saori asked sweetly.

Looking over to Touma, who shook his head, Rajura answered, “No, I don't believe at the moment there is. We are okay for the moment.”

“Okay, feel free to come back at any time,” Saori said. 

Rajura and Touma bowed, “Thank you, ladies.” 

And as they left, they could hear scuffling and Kasane saying, “No, you can’t ask him on a date now!” Nothing Rajura could do would quell Touma’s mirth the rest of the way back to the apartment. Even his glare that could tame his fellow Masho was no match. 

~~~

Now that the soldiers were taken care of, Touma went back into the apartment to get his car-keys (guarded by his Gundam figure). "I'm going to get something out of my car. I'll be right back." He knew there was a portable battery in the glove box, he didn't remember if it was charged. There was that box of free gear in the trunk; he had a feeling there was a battery in there. Maybe something else was in there they could use.

Shuu, having chosen to remain with the soldiers a little longer to help them clear up some of the heavier objects, had a thought come to him. "So, like," he began, addressing Ray as the other man stared at him, flipping an old, massive oak writing desk one-handed. "You're really sure none of your guys, I mean, even of the six you lost... not a single one of them started doing strange shit once they got here? Maybe not pissing water out of their hands or embracing the holy spirit or whatever, but they just stayed normal?"

“Some of the people we’ve met simply became unusually capable of stealth and the like,” Seiji added, thinking of Columbine of the Dryad. He paused in conducting a brief explanation for the (non-functional) modern appliances and controls in the kitchen for Howard and turned to await Ray’s reply.

Raymond couldn't relax, not yet. He and his men weren't entirely sure this place was safe or sane, seeing as there was now the ghost of a dead child acting as a landlord for them, and Howard was annoyingly convinced the blonde was Jesus Christ himself. "I'm positive, Rei. Nobody's gone around pissin' water or flyin' or nothing. Just us regular Joes.” 

“Say..." Chewing on his lip, Raymond figured it would be best to ask the only people they'd found that were 1) human and 2) spoke English. "You see any weird specterfish around here? We saw one yesterday followin' us around."

Seiji glanced from Shuu to Shin, not wanting to explain if they weren’t both comfortable with it. Shuu tensed somewhat and then scratched his head. "Yeah. Uh, I've seen a couple of them. But like, it's okay. I see the blue one the most, but it seems to like people. I don't think it's got a malicious bone in its body, well, if a ghost fish could have bones." Pensively, he looked over at Shin. He didn't want to out him if he didn't want to be outed.

Shin's eyes widened. Shit, he thought. I don't want to lie nor omit information, but I also don't want them to think I'm Satan or something. Switching his weight from foot to foot, he decided it's better to tell the truth now before he dug a deeper hole. "That was me. I recently discovered I can... turn into a ghost-like koi in addition to other animals. We were concerned for your wellbeing but didn't want to be shot on sight, so I came in that form first. I apologize for deceiving you." Shin bowed low.

“It’s a new ability,” Seiji said calmly. “Shuu panicked and tried to put him in a fishbowl the first time it happened and Shin only learned how to control this recently. Another person who ended up in this world had gone through the same shock and was able to teach him.”

Raymond blinked. "He, what? You?" Pointing at Shin, the soldier didn't bother to hide his horror. "You're the fish?! Why the HELL were you following us?! We woulda shot you in a heartbeat!"

Carl piped up then. "Sir, we chucked a couple o’ things at it. Him. Went right through. Bullets woulda done nothin'."

"That's part of why I used that form,” Shin said sheepishly. “I'd rather not get shot and killed or eaten because of a misunderstanding."

“We wanted to check on you, do some reconnaissance. You have guns. Those are formidable weapons,” Seiji commented.

"Like a goddamn movie. That's what this place is. It's a Hollywood picture." Howard added.

Shuu nodded. "Yeah, ‘cept in the movies you can click your heels twice and wish to go home, and a princess in a pink dress makes it happen."

“Witch,” Seiji corrected.

Shuu wrinkled his nose. "Jokes on you, bitch! I read the book. Galinda was both haha!"

Seiji gives Shuu his best piercing look.

Meanwhile, back upstairs...

Touma hadn’t noticed he’d left the door to the apartment slightly ajar and a small form slinked its way into the main room as if it owned the place.

While everyone was distracted, she let out a cry. ”Myiao! Myiiiaaaaooo!” Annoyed, for she was clearly the most important thing ever, the small tabby cat padded her way around the place, sniffing.

Touma returned triumphantly from his venture to the car! He was so happy to find not one, but two batteries! Okay so they weren't at 100%. but hey he'd take what he could get right now. There was a shirt he'd forgotten was in there too and was so happy to find. "Now to charge this phone and try a few things..." He entered the apartment, not paying much mind to the open door.

Nearly punting the tabby, she puffed up and swiped at Touma. HISS! How dare you!

"Whoa! What the hell?!" Touma jumped and looked down to see... a cat? How? Was Shin shape shifting again or whatever? "Ummm... sorry?" He turned his attention to Ryo, "Did you have Shin turn back into a cat?"

Ryo shook his head. "Shin's still with the soldiers."

"Then, what's with the house guest?" He pointed to the tabby.

Ryo shrugged and put his hand out for the kitty to sniff.

The tabby seemed disinterested at best, instead sniffing the carpet, looking for something.

"Maybe it smells Bya...? Hey Jun,” Touma turned to the green ujigami, “did you and your friends see a lot of stray cats before?"

“No, not really! Just Hibiscus, but she’s usually a fox! She doesn’t really ever leave the Oracle except on special occasions!”

Touma shrugged and looked at Ryo, "You're the animal person, what do you think it wants?" He set his shirt, the two chargers, and their cords on the table, one cord carelessly dangling off the side. "By the way, I found my chargers. They aren't fully charged but I'm willing to share. Need to see if we can make contact with...human Jun. Yes, that phone call is going to drive me nuts."

Ignoring the ignorant oaf of a human who nearly punted her, the tabby trotted over to the Mashos’ bedroom, poking her head inside.

“Myiao?”

Ryo continued to curiously watch the cat while distractedly handing Touma his ancient phone. Touma looked at the outdated phone. He briefly thought about taking Ryo to get a new phone but knew that would be pointless.

Shuten looked up for a moment from meditating. And then did a double take. It was that cat. "How did you get here?" he demanded.

The first cat cry half-woke Anubisu from his nap and Shuten's tone shot him the rest of the way. He saw a very familiar-looking feline getting glared at by Shuten. And she gave back equally with ears flattened and her tail thrashing back and forth. 

"Tarea?" He called to her and the cat turned from Shuten, flicking her tail straight up in defiance of him to pad over to Anubisu. She sniffed Anubisu's outstretched hand once before rubbing her head into it. "How did you get here?"

He didn't get an answer, just more of her rubbing and purring. “My human,” her nuzzling suggested, “I am content now.” She jumped on him, kneading and rubbing, marking her human. 

In the midst of the kneading, careful scratches told a story in concepts rather than words – sleep and light – were communicated, although Anubisu didn’t know what that meant, yet. It was their code, something developed over the years as Tarea showed she was more than just an ordinary cat. 

He looked up to see Shuten watching him. "What?" Anubisu asked. 

Shuten just blinked. "I don't know why I'm surprised. To think that Tarea would bend heaven and earth in her wake to get back to her throne?" He chuckled, seeing the cat sitting pretty and imperial on Anubisu.

Naaza was busy working on his new garden, but Rajura was still inside. He grunted, rolling his eyes. "Great, the cat's back."

Petting her, Anubisu answered, "You know that before Arago attacked, I sent away most of the animals we raised, including her. After, well, after, I couldn't find her. She must have been here all these years." That was a pain point, one of his regrets from that time. Until right now, he thought she was dead.

Shuten tilted his head. "She looks healthy. So, I suppose, in her true fashion, she is staying out of trouble. Or at least all but what she makes herself."

Tarea licked her paw, then looked to Shuten as if to say, “Who, me? Cause trouble?”

Jumping down, she strolled up to Shuten, sitting in front of him for a moment. Then she walked over to Rajura, enjoying herself as she got closer, but not close enough to be in kicking range.

Rajura curled up his lip in disgust. "Shoo. Go be a cat somewhere else, you little pest." He too did not seem to want to be in range of the animal's claws.

Anubisu got up and grabbed Tarea before she got hurt. Tossing her on his shoulder, he walked out of the room. He saw Ryo and Byakuen right away. Tarea jumped down with a heavy thud and padded up to the tiger, touching noses with him. Anubisu held his breath, hoping the tiger didn't eat his cat. Her whole body was smaller than Byakuen's head.

Touma walked out of the Troopers’ room, now in his new cleaner shirt and staring at his phone. He looked up to see the cat sniffing Byakuen. "So... is this a new member of our merry band then?"

"That's Tarea and she will be with us for a while." Anubisu waved. "As long as the tiger doesn't eat her."

"Byakuen wouldn't do that. Would you, buddy," Ryo responded, scratching the tiger behind the ear.

Anubisu started to relax when Tarea rubbed against Byakuen's legs. The tiger sniffed the tiny cat and sensing another ally, the tiger began licking Tarea.

Tarea went to both Touma and Ryo, rubbing both as Anubisu watched with a smile. She rubbed once more against Anubisu before trotting into the girls’ room where he heard two delighted squeals.

After a few moments of doting all over the cat, Kayura walked out into the main room, her arms full of fluff. "Onii-san, did you see this adorable cat? She just walked right into the room and let us pet her! She's sooooo cute!"

"Her name is Tarea. She's been my companion for longer than I've been in the Youjakai." She flopped around as Kayura pet her, being cute and endearing herself to another person.

Kayura looked amazed. "Really? I had no idea anyone had any pets... Well," She shook her head, looking down at the soft cat in her arms. "admittedly, I didn't know much of anything." Byakuen nuzzled Kayura.

"Kiddo, you're allowed to not know things. That's part of growing up," Ryo chipped.

Touma nodded, "It's true."

Two cats at the same time? Kayura remembered a hazy time when Byakuen was an enemy... Holding Tarea in the crook of her arm, she pet the great white tiger with the other. “...thank you, all of you. You’re very kind.”

Touma smiled at her, "Don't mention it, Kay."

Kayura blushed furiously. “A-ah, Tenku-san, what is N-Er-Dy? On your shirt?” She had to somehow distract the attention away from herself.

"Touma, you don't need to call me Tenku," He reminded her then chuckled, "It's a joke, because I'm a nerd." He pointed to the squares on his shirt, "Nitrogen, Erbium, and Dysprosium. They're on the periodic table. That's a chart scientists made up of chemical elements. There's 118 of them total."

Kayura tilted her head. “Touma-san, what is nerd?”

Ryo laughed. "Nerds do anything for the pursuit of knowledge and walk around in suspenders, bowties, and glasses. They're klutzy and when they make a mess, they snort and say, 'Did I do that?'"

Touna smacked Ryo's arm, "Dude, I resent that." He glared a bit, " We nerds do like knowledge, but fuck the rest of that."

Kayura was more confused now that ever, eyes darting between both Touma and Ryo.

He looked at Kayura, "Nerds are people who like science, comic books, cartoons, and video games. I'm more a science nerd, and Shuu's a video game nerd."

“So,” she said, attempting to demonstrate understanding. “If nerds pursue knowledge, is Rajura-san a nerd? He has a very large book collection. And Naaza-san is very adept with scientific and alchemical knowledge.”

"Yes. 100% absolutely nerds." 

"Nasuti is a nerd for mythology." Ryo grinned.

Nasuti appeared from the other room, a smile on her face. “Touma, are you talking nerdy to young girls?”

"Maybe?" He smiled innocently, "She did ask."

“Touma-san, I have many questions. Namely, what are cartoons, comic books and video games?”

"Oh don't worry, I plan to show you video games very soon. The others might have to wait until we get home."

Touma glanced outside, "Think the market is open? We need the beacon and stuff."

Ryo snorted at Touma's mention of stuff. "Let's check on the others downstairs and then head there."

He nodded and headed out the door, then down the stairs and approached the door of their 'new neighbors', "Seiji?"

Anubisu approached Kayura, "It's probably best you don't tell Rajura about Tenku showing you these video games. I assume it is innocent, but he might not like it. Am I right Yagyu-san?"

Nasuti tried to hide a smile behind her hand. She thought it was cute how curious Kayura was about modern things as she bounded into the bedroom, watching as Rajura followed her. "I get the feeling that Rajura is like Seiji, in that they're the fun police. Would that be an accurate statement?"

"He takes his role seriously," Anubisu answered. "And, yes, he does put a stop to the fun. Proper, refined, and composed is the way he lives. He expects the same of us, but that doesn't happen often."

Nasuti shifted her weight. She remembered how ruthless Anubisu had been during the war, but he seemed so different now. More relaxed, all things considered. "...how are you holding up, Anubisu? It must be really strange to be stuck in a somewhat modern world like this."

"We are holding up fairly well, Yagyu-san," He answered. And knowing they knew of some of the conflicts, he added, "There are things we are working out. But, when it comes to protecting Kayura, we're together on that."

"She's like a little sister, I suppose? She keeps calling you onii-san when we're talking before bed. She seems quite attached to you. I think... I think it's heartwarming." Nasuti shrugged, turning away from him, her thoughts drifting to the war. "To be honest, I never really thought about what you all might be like outside of Arago's influence. I have to say..."

She turned back around with a smile. "You're not so bad."

"Oh, really?" Anubisu asked. "We weren't good people before our service, and I'm sure we'll do something to remind you of that, however unintentionally." He shrugged, "But, being here might do us some good. It is certainly benefiting her... and Tenku."

The historian's countenance softened. He was trying, and that was admirable. "I know I'll never know what it was like to live back then, never mind serve under a giant floating head with aspirations of enslaving the known world, but..." 

She didn't think deep, emotional conversation was the best option, and since Anubisu had mentioned Touma... "He's a nerd, through and through. The more people he can talk passionately about his interests with, the happier he is. I don't think Kayura minds too much."

"No, she is enchanted by him. And he seems oblivious. It's nice she can have that kind of ordinary experience. "

“Aww, you think so? Maybe she’s developing her first crush. I remember those days. He was in my advanced calculus class...” Nasuti smiled at the memory. “How about you? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m sure things were very different back then.”

As neutral as possible, "Yes, things were very different back then. And with no disrespect intended, the past before Arago is not something I'm willing to discuss."

Nasuti bowed to the Masho. “Forgive me, Anubisu. As a historian, it’s an incredible opportunity to speak with someone from the past. Sometimes I forget it might not be something you’d want to discuss.”

"I'm sure Rajura or Shuten would be better sources. I'm from the far north, and life was far removed from the samurai and most of the conflicts. What I know won't help you."

Nasuti shrugged. She wasn’t going to get much more than that. “Big battles and high society aren’t everything, Anubisu, but I understand.”

He nodded. "How are you holding up? The Troopers look up to you, as does Kayura. That's a lot of pressure for you."

She sighed deeply. “Honestly? I’m alright. I’m familiar with the surroundings, all things considered. I don’t have a missing armor, and the boys haven’t destroyed anything they’re not supposed to... yet.” She finished with a shrug. “Aside from not being able to shop as I’d prefer, I can’t really complain. Thank you for asking, Anubisu. And speaking of looking up to, Kayura seems attached to you. She even called you onii-san to me before correcting herself.” Whether or not Anubisu liked the idea was unknown to her. “I think she thinks she has to pretend she’s not as attached as she is.”

Anubisu agreed. "She does seem attached, and that's fine. I'm not teaching her to control the Youjakai. It's Rajura she's worried about disappointing." He continued quieter, "But this is good for her and us. I don't know how to relate to her as she needs. The Troopers do, especially Kongo."

“Shuu has a big family and so much practice. Don’t be down on yourself, Anubisu.” It was strange to see one who was once so murderous be so much more grounded. Really, all the Masho were vastly different as far as she could tell. “She speaks very highly of you if that helps any.”

"It does." Anubisu pulled at the nagging feeling he's felt around this woman since they came to her house. "I would like to say I'm glad you are no longer afraid of us, after everything. But, I'm not sure you ever were. You had my respect after being on that mountain as you and Seiji searched for Kongo, as twisted as it was by Arago."

Nasuti chuckled, reliving that moment with the gift of hindsight. “You know, I was pissed that you sliced up that nice jacket I had, but then I realized my life was a bit more important. Besides, it gave me an excuse to buy a new one. Maybe I should be thanking you?”

~~~

Kayura sighed deeply, pausing to stare out the window and into the cityscape. It was a wonder to hear how things had changed so much since she was young. Homes were made of wood and paper, not thick stone and glass, and no one possessed such marvelous trinkets. It was overwhelming, sometimes, to be completely immersed in all this technology she did not know of.

Still, it was entertaining to see the Troopers jest with each other, or pine over things which she did not understand. Kayura was so lost in thought that she did not hear Rajura enter the room.

"Lady Kayura. I hope I'm not intruding on something important," came the man's stern voice. He hadn't used it much during their time in this place, but the girl would recognize it just the same: he was in mentor mode, and this wasn't meant to be an informal meeting.

The little priestess was lucky she wasn't holding something because it would have been splattered all over the ceiling. "Rajura-san, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Steadying her heartbeat, she knew what That Tone meant - Rajura was disappointed. Often, she wanted to shrink away from that tone, but she admonished herself instead. "You're not intruding. What can I help you with?"

As he stepped into the room, he shut the door behind him with a soft click. The political mask he wore would not betray whatever he may have felt. "I have...concerns about your recent actions of late. Forgive me if I overstep, but I feel they must be addressed."

Oh yes, she was in Deep Trouble.

And there was nowhere to hide...

No, she was supposed to be a lady. Dignified in the face of adversity, never allowing her true feelings to be seen--- 

He was using the face. "Ah, yes?" Was it the dress? It might have been the cute, modern dress... or maybe the ice cream dessert... or asking Shuu-san what certain words meant... "Surely, my curiosity about modern things isn't too terrible, is it?"

"That isn't what I came to talk about, Lady Kayura. Anubisu told me about what happened in your meditation," he said, the facade starting to crack as his eyebrows knit in consternation, and he shook his head. "I don't understand; why would you keep this from us? From me?"

Kayura blinked, and her brows furrowed. Rajura was tenacious and would not allow her to escape without answering to her mistake. With a sigh, Kayura turned around and walked to the window. “Truthfully, I thought I could solve it on my own. I was trying to contact Kaosu-sama. Then, when that—“ She lacked words for what it was. “—that creature appeared in his stead... I know we are all quite burdened as it is. Shuten and Anubisu have their problems. Naaza was upset.”

She looked back over her shoulder at her mentor. He was precious to her, even if he’d hate her telling him so. “I was trying to find the best way to tell you, amid all this. I can’t have you solving all of my problems for me, Rajura-san. Still... I am sorry for keeping it from you.”

Rajura raised a hand to his face, massaging his temples as he lowered his head slightly. "I realize that there is a great deal going on, but something like this isn't a problem to be solved-" When his hand fell, it revealed an angry expression, though he kept his voice even. "-it is a danger to be prepared for. If this thing saw you, then it could attack us when we least expect it. Even if it only targets you, we could still be prepared for such a thing and know what would need to be done."

The priestess lowered her head in shame. Rajura was right. What a terrifyingly stupid decision it was to keep this to herself. She could be putting the entire group in mortal danger! “...you’re right, Rajura-san.” I just wanted to try and solve this on my own. Maybe... maybe you’d be proud of me. Instead, I made a grave error in judgment. “I haven’t meditated since...” How can I undo this? ...I can’t. I can’t undo this.

Rajura nodded and let out a quiet sigh, keeping his gaze leveled on her as his tension eased. "I'm glad you were wise enough to take the precaution. Wanting to solve your problems on your own is admirable, my lady, but I think you'll agree that this situation warrants us all to be aware of it."

She turned back to face him, to meet the problem. “...what precautions would you advise, Rajura-san?”

"To start, I say we raise the spiritual barrier here. It may not be enough to keep it out, but it is worth trying. The Troopers need to be informed of what may or may not be coming. Better to know and not have anything happen." 

Kayura nodded along. Excellent advice, as always. “I’ll erect a barrier momentarily.” The others would know soon after. As much as the Ujigami protected the apartment from the outside world, this new threat was likely beyond their capabilities. 

He paused from his thoughts to look at her. "Lady Kayura... Just how long ago did this happen?"

“Not long. Two nights ago, I think. I was too tired the first night here to try. I wanted answers, but Kaosu-sama... seems so far away now.”

"Two nights ago? So, you spoke to Anubisu not long after it happened?"

Kayura nodded. “I was... trying to figure out as much as I could before telling you. Gathering intelligence.” Nothing she could say would alleviate the tension, and she was acutely aware of it. Her shoulders stiffened. “How much did Anubisu-san tell you?”

"Only enough for me not to storm into your room and demand an explanation after chastising both he and Shuten for loudly arguing like children," he sighed again, then made himself comfortable by taking a seat on the floor. "It's been a very trying twenty-four hours. It would have been disgraceful of me to barge into your room like that."

The young lady’s eyes drifted downwards, a frown forming over her features. Gingerly, she padded to Rajura’s side and sat down next to him. “Surely, there is something I can do to help alleviate some of the stress, Rajura-san?”

The one-eyed man studied her for a moment before glancing away. "I need to be able to trust your judgment calls on serious issues like this," he frowned. "Now, I'm not so sure that I can, but there's little I can do about it."

Kayura sighed deeply. “I’ve... disappointed you.” She looked away, unable to face him in her shame. She should have known better. “I’m sorry, Rajura-san.”

"Mm," he nodded, his gaze flickering to her and softening. "I realize the difficult position you're in, Lady," he stopped himself for a moment. "-Kayura-sama. I do expect you to make mistakes, but I also expect you to learn from them. So. What have you taken away from this error?"

She imagined Rajura was as close to a father as she could ever get, smiling slightly. “...I must inform you of any pertinent information as soon as I realize it... regardless of what other problems might be transpiring, Rajura-san.”

Rajura raised an eyebrow as he turned his head to face her. "Is that all?"

“No,” she murmured. Holding her chin in her hand, she continued. “I learned that... you care. And... I appreciate that very much. More than I can say, I think.” Her brows furrowed in thought, her eyes focusing on a mundane point in the worn carpet. “Anubisu-san cares too. I’ve realized you’re all very important to me, and I want to protect you to the best of my ability.”

"Better," he said, though his tone indicated that it wasn't quite what he had in mind. He shuffled to turn the rest of his body towards her. "For all intents and purposes, you are our leader. Our lady and master. You do not have to tell us anything if you so choose, but what I am trying to impart to you is the wisdom to know when we should know about something immediately and when something can wait. And when we should know about something, that no matter what we're dealing with, you can always rely on us."

Kayura flinched at the word master. It reminded her of the servitude they kept under Arago. She wished never to enslave anyone.

Then, he reached out and placed a gentle hand on her head, lowering his voice. "And yes, I do care about you. I know the measure of your strength, but I want to protect you as well." Rajura offered her a soft smile.

Leader? She felt insufficient, inexperienced, and outclassed. But she would try, especially for them. The head pat earned a sniffle, and against customs, she leaned against Rajura in gratitude. “No matter what happens, Rajura-san, I will try my best. Now... would you want to see the drawing I made of the thing I saw? I thought it pertinent.”

For all his disappointment in her that day, Rajura finally looked impressed. "A good idea. Let's see it."

Kayura got up to retrieve the little sketchbook from the desk she and Nasutei had cleared. “I’m not an artist like you, Rajura-san, but I tried.”

"That's quite alright, I had a lot of professional training in the arts," he said off-handedly, taking the sketch in hand to look it over. He frowned. "It doesn't look all that menacing, but I will take your word for it. Perhaps we could show it around to those who are more familiar with this place? They might have a clue as to what it is."

"I think that would be a good idea. I get the sense that it knows I was looking at it. I thought it was merely a daydream of some kind, but I truly believe my consciousness was elsewhere, wherever this creature resides."

Rajura offered it back. "We can't let our guard down in this place. There are too many unknown factors, and much we still don't understand." He stood up, the tension gone from his stance. "I'll take my leave then if that's amenable to you."

“Rajura-san?” she asked after him. “...sleep well, okay?”

He smiled and nodded. "You as well, Kayura-sama."

~~~

“Hey, Ray,” Shuu nudged him. “Can I say something, as a brother, and not get offended?”

Ray gave a wry grin, “We know we stink.”

“Okay, cool, but we can fix that, you know.” 

“It’s not like we had much of a choice, being out in the field, in the middle of danger, you know. You got a hose?”

Shuu smiled brightly, “There's this public bathhouse and is actually running and has, get this, soap!” 

“Well, Halle-fucking-lujah.”

“There is one itty biddy caveat,” Shuu said and almost cringed under Ray’s stare. “Okay, this particular establishment has a thing with,” he points to all of himself, then up and down Ray. “The proprietors of this establishment like thick boys, and you, Sir, are their type.” All Shuu got back was a blank stare. “So from one Rei to another, I have to let you know, this is run by a couple of ladies who are sisters and we're just going to say that they don't have a lot in the lines of what we would think of modesty and I'm just going to say it, they don't wear a whole lot of clothes.”

“So, what you're saying to me is that this is paradise and I’m their type.”

“Yes, but they're plant ladies.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

Shuu opened his mouth to retort but thought again. “Good one, but NO! I'm not saying splinters or anything like that, just keep an open mind, and just keep your jaw closed.”

Ray made the gesture of curves with a question.

Shuu nodded, “That and more. They like men who are more like,” he pointed to himself then Ray. “They come on pretty hard and they like to chase and I wasn't ready for that.”

Shin stepped up to stop Shuu from bumbling this up. “Do you know anything about Greek mythology?” Most of the looks he got back were either blank or iffy.

“They are quite willing and able to defend their establishment and themselves,” Seiji pointed out. “We don’t suggest any rude behavior,” Seiji added.

Ray nodded, “We’ll behave ourselves for the most part. I mean, we've been here for quite a while without any female company, like, at all.”

“I understand.” Shuu nodded.

“We've been lonely, but we are gentlemen and will behave like it.” Ray looked at his men. “Well, boys, we're going to have to go bathe in shifts, but we can at least stop stinking for a little while,” Ray asked for volunteers, and the group pushed Adam to the front. After tending the commander, he had more than just his own sweat on him. 

“Dude, we got money!” came from the doorway, in Japanese. Touma just entered, “We're going shopping.”

Seiji raises an eyebrow. “Then, I’m sure we can find enough to help these gentlemen out.”

Touma nodded, “We need to go back to the market to get the beacon and the Game Boy, and there's a few other things I want.”

“Convenient. We're taking some of these boys to the bathhouse because they are fermented,” Shuu added.

“I might need your help to find something in the market.” Touma turned begging eyes on Shuu.

Shuu laughed. “Sounds good, I don't need to be hunted as tenaciously as I was hunted before.”

“You don't like the attention they gave you?”

“I mean, I didn't like they put my dragon on display, I like it to be my choice.”

Sighing, Seiji offers to stay with the soldiers and help them with the dryad sisters.

Shuu slung his arm around Seiji, “Ray is apparently my new brother. Keep an eye on him. He’s the one in the most danger.” He whispered conspiratorially in English. 

“Is it really danger, though?” Ray responded. 

“Splinters.” Seiji rolled his eyes and shrugged Shuu off him.

“Can’t be worse than getting shot at.” 

“You have any idea how long we've been here with no female companion.” Shuu laughed as Ray got up, meeting Adam and Howard. “All right, let’s get this going.”

As Touma and Shuu waved off the group, Seiji and Shin led the soldiers through the town. Howard prattled on about his hometown and his new truck while Seiji just nodded along. He shot a hot look back after Shin couldn’t keep his giggling to himself. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take too long to get to the laundromat. “So, are we gonna put ourselves in the machines or what?” Ray asked.

Seiji just chuckled. “You’ll see. It’s a bit different from American baths.”

The door suddenly flew open, and two of the dryads came bouncing out. Seiji heard Ray mutter, “Oh my god,” as they were greeted. “Good morning, ladies. Could you help our new friends out? They’re a bit pungent.”

The dryads smiled at each other before Columbine replied. “With the utmost pleasure!” Before they both grabbed Ray and pulled him inside. 

Sighing, “And the rest of you,” Seiji said, ushering the other soldiers in. A squeak came from inside, and they saw Ray being divested of his clothes by wandering fingers.

“They’re a bit handsy,” Seiji added, following the soldiers in.

"Maybe a consent lecture should be given to the dryads and not the soldiers," chirped Shin.

As Ray splashed in the water, Columbine came over to work on the other soldiers. She muttered to Seiji, “Thanks for bringing the boys in for us to play with.”

“We’re here as much to help the Americans as we are to help you.”

She nodded, undoing Adam’s belt, “Are these the little boys we've heard so much about?”

Shin nodded, “Yes, these are the boys you heard about.”

“We’re happy we could help them,” Seiji added.

Columbine dropped a pair of boxers, crinkling her nose. “Why are they so smelly?”

“Columbine!” Aster shouted from where she was scrubbing Ray in the water, but he didn’t look distressed at all. “You just don't ask people why they're smelly. We always smell good because we have flowers in our hair and not everybody gets to do that.”

“They’ve been very confused and very frightened. With luck, we can help them understand where they are.” Seiji tried, hoping the dryads would understand.

“Oh, I’ll make sure to help make them feel more at home,” Columbine said with a wink.

Shin rubbed his temples, “I feel like I need an adult, but I am the adult.” He saw Aster scrubbing vigorously beneath the water while Ray smiled. Shin turned bright red.

“There are a few more to bring by,” Seiji informed them. “Three more, and one who will come when he’s feeling better. In any case, they don’t speak the most commonly spoken languages here, nor read them. Do you think you could help them out?”

They both gave a funny happy face. “We'll be sure they get special treatment!” Columbine answered as she got in the water to scrub the men. “You can leave them here with us for a little while. We won’t break them, it’s purely to talk.”

“As long as the soldiers are okay with it,” Shin agreed.

“As I said, they’re frightened and confused. Nothing here is familiar to them.” Seiji paused and gave Columbine a Look. “Go easy on them.”

She nodded, but Seiji still had his doubts. As they left, he saw Howard mouth, “Thank you for blessing us, Jesus.”

~~~

On the way to the marketplace, Touma and Shuu were having a bit of fun until Shuu asked what they were going for and Touma turned somber, “Shuu, okay, so here's the thing, kind of. We have to go get this beacon. Naaza and I put a down payment on it yesterday. So it's waiting for us, but I need to warn you about something and it kind of freaked me out yesterday.”

“What, dude?”

“When I got close to that thing, I started reliving some memories I don't wanna talk about. And it really f’ed me up.”

“I totally respect that,” Shuu nodded. “And I think not everything is a moment where we share vulnerability and such. Shin and I already had our conversations about emotional language. Yes, dude, I get it. We're friends, man.”

“I just wanted to give you a warning because I know you've been going through your own shit since we got back. So, I don't know what it's going to do to you the closer you get to, but I don't really want to deal with it any more than I have to.”

“Here's an idea, maybe if I get really fucking mad we won't have to deal with that shit!” 

Touma laughed, “You're not wrong.”

“You're saying you don't want to hold it, right?”

“I'm saying I'll take one for the team or we could share it. We can both do it, but I don't want to be any closer to that thing once we get home.”

“Oh, like, where we gonna put it?” Shuu wondered.

“I've got a bag.”

“Not to quote Star Lord or anything like that, but what is the bag gonna do?”

“It's something to do with it while we get the Game Boy, and I need to look for potatoes.”

“Potatoes,” Shuu perked up. “I mean, I'm down for that.”

“We're not eating the potatoes.”

“What the fuck!?” Shuu pushed him, “You don't come up to me and say potatoes and then tell me I can't eat them because my mind is going to scallop potatoes, mash potatoes, stuffed potatoes…”

Touma giggled, “I'm going to make a battery with the potatoes.”

“What are we going to power with potato batteries?” He said sarcastically.

“There are some lights around the apartment, and if I can figure it out because I've done it before, I could make a battery to power the Game Boy.”

“Can we at least have one because if I can find some rosemary, I really want some potatoes.”

“Just leave me two potatoes.”

“Okay, cool.”

The marketplace was already bustling this early in the morning. Little dokkaebi showed various other types of myths, legends, and monsters with different wares. Touma led Shuu back to the stall where the beacon was and he knew it was there before he even saw it. He was ready, but Shuu was struck with a memory. 

Not wanting to ask, Touma pushed through. The dokkaebi saw him and held out his hand for payment without a word. Touma pulled out the purse and dug out 100P. The dokkaebi muttered, “Good luck,” as they fit the ball in Touma’s bag. It flared blue for just a moment before disappearing in the depths.

Touma let Shuu hold the bag, feeling a little guilty, but Shuu seemed determined. “So, do you wanna go look for potatoes, or do we wanna get the Game Boy?”

Shuu just shrugged, “Whatever, man.” What they said kept echoing in his head.

Touma nodded knowingly as they made their way to the stall. It was still there, amongst the clutter. His mood got a bit better, even with the sphere still so close. He pointed to the Game Boy and asked, “Twenty?”

The dokkaebi cocked his head but nodded. Touma picked it up as the dokkaebi gathered the batteries. “Have fun with brick with tiny man in it. Here, have food for brick.” He handed over two AA batteries. 

“Thanks,” Touma’s mood kept going up, even if he heard slamming doors in the distance.

After a while of searching, checking various stalls, Shuu muttered, “Look, let’s just go get this depression ball back. I’ll do without potatoes.” 

“You sure?” Touma asked, and Shuu nodded. They only found three potatoes, and he was thinking of how to start a garden so they could grow their own food. Maybe the Masho would know. A stall caught their attention with a box with 1P marked on it. In the box was a bunch of random stuff. “What do you think?” Touma asked, but Shuu just shrugged. Touma looked concerned, quickly paying the 1P and grabbing the box. “Let’s get back to the apartment,” He said soothingly.

On the way home from the market, Touma said quietly, “I really think we should keep the soldiers away from Nasuti and Kayura. 

“I don't think they're like that, Howard seems like a good old country boy,” Shuu said quietly.

“No, for their own safety.”

Shuu got it and agreed. Of course, their girls could protect themselves, but he understood where Touma was coming from. They passed Ibaraki’s store, “Hey, let’s stop. I just want to say hi.” Touma agreed, but when they knocked on the door and called, no one came. “Figures,” Shuu muttered. 

“Maybe he’s at work.” Touma suggested.


	29. Chapter 29

Nasuti noticed something was wrong as soon as Touma and Shuu walked in the door. She approached them, “What’s wrong?” but was harshly waved back. 

“It's this fucking thing,” He shook the bag, “Our new depression stone, don't get too close to it, man.”

“The beacon Touma wanted?” Shuu nodded. “That's concerning.”

“Yeah, it kind of sucks, it makes you think of things that you don't think of every day that kinda makes you feel bad - like really sad - and, like, I tried to think of other things, and it just keeps wiggling back to the front of my head and try not to get too close to that.” He raised his voice for everyone to head. “Don’t get close to this thing if you want to keep your sanity.”

“Just lock it in the bathroom until we're ready to go for the whale,” Touma suggested as he put down the box and dug out the Game Boy.

Kayura approached, followed by Anubisu, and she leaned in, “What did you get, Touma-san?”

“We have this depression ball, keep back away from it, it only makes you feel as horrible as shit – ah,” He caught himself and a look from Anubisu for cursing in front of her. He quickly changed the subject. “This is a video game and I think you and I are going to have fun with it and I have this box of stuff.”

“Oh, is this the thing you are a nerd about?”

Touma laughed nervously, “Ya.”

“I would really like to see it if you don't mind.”

“Sure,” he could feel the depression ball move away as Shuu stuffed it out of the way as the Game Boy powered up. He heard them talking about that and Nasuti directing him to a corner away from all the bedrooms, but at the front door. Well, maybe it will be like a magic wall against intruders.

Touma played the game for a few minutes with Kayura at his arm watching intently. She was utterly amazed and made the cutest sounds when something happened. When the next level loaded, she looked over to Anubisu and said, “Onii-san, there's a man stuck in this brick that follows Touma-san’s direction like he's a God in this world!” His own laughter mixed with Anubisu’s as the next level started and Kayura was absorbed again.

Touma offered it to her, “Do you wanna try? It's really cool.”

She shook her head, “I don't think I should touch this magical device.”

“Go ahead,” Anubisu encouraged her, amused by this interaction.

She smiled and took it gingerly. Touma talked her through what buttons did what and what she needed to do next. She followed his instructions, picking up on the game quickly. When she completed the level, she smiled brightly up at Touma, and he said, “Not bad.”

Nasuti watched all this happening and wondered how Touma could be so completely oblivious. Kayura had her first crush, and her older brother seemed to be debating on encouraging it or stopping it. Of course, with the Masho, she was sure if Touma tried anything, he would be strung up by his entrails. She watched the blue-haired Masho keeping a close on her blue-haired Trooper. At least he’s open to it. Rajura and Shuten probably would have had a fit by now.

“This is so fun!” Kayura squeaked. “There are these angry mushrooms and there's a funny-looking fat man and he jumps on the mushrooms that get squished.” She explained to Anubisu. 

“It’s not the strangest thing we've heard in the past couple of weeks.” He nodded along.

“Do you think the fat man is stuck in a world like we are?” She asked, concerned. 

“No,” Anubisu shook his head. 

“Maybe we’re gods in their world.”

“I’m sure Tenku would be a whole lot more worried if that were the case.”

Shuu came over then, feeling better, “Touma, what the hell are you teaching her?” He caught the glare from Anubisu for language.

“Shuu-san look, look, there's a fat man in this brick,” Kayura held up the Game Boy for him.

Taking it, Shuu responded, “Oh yeah, I remember this.”

“Oh, you know about the fat man in the brick?”

“Yeah, I have the color version, but yeah.”

“I don't know what that is.” She looked down at the Game Boy, green was a color, right?

“This one the screen is only in green, but the one I had came in all different colors.” Kayura looked amazed.

“Dude, we have to get her on Pokémon,” Touma suggested.

“Did they have a Pokémon game?”

“I don't know I was too depressed to look. But we can go back and look some other time.” 

“Onii-san, do you want to play?”

“I'm not touching that demon box.”

“Dude, come on, it’s not a demon box.” Shuu protested. He noticed Nasuti wandering away, chuckling.

“That's not what it is, that's totally not what it is,” Touma said.

“It's just a machine.”

“With a fat man inside? Was I torturing the fat man?” Kayura was concerned. 

“No, I-“ Anubisu tried to explain what he meant, but the others cut him off. 

Shuu spoke up, “It's a picture. When you press the button, you change the picture, that's all.”

“It's a game.”

Kayura looked at the Game Boy, thinking. “The last toy I remember was a ball.”

“We still have those.”

Touma went over and dug in the box. He pulled out a pink rubber duck. Squeezing it to make it squeak. He handed it to Kayura, who giggled. “This is also a toy, just like that’s a toy. They're just two different kinds of toys for kids who get bored.”

“Like you get bored?”

“I get bored way too easily.”

“You really do,” Shuu laughed. “I mean any cat would get mischievous if they're not given enough to do.”

“Did you just compare me to a cat?”

“Miyaoo,” came from under Touma’s feet as Tarea made herself known at the mention of a cat.

Kayura bubbled up at her, giving the Game Boy back in favor of picking up Tarea. “Have you seen this cat? She's adorable! So, if Touma-san is like a cat, I could think of a lot worse comparisons.”

Shuu nodded, “She's cute as shit. Can I touch the puss puss?” Kayura passed him Tarea, who flopped herself against Shuu’s chest. “Who’s a smart Kitty? You love them big titties, don’t you?” He baby talked to her. “What?” He said to everyone else, “I've had so much good cat jelly since getting here, leave me alone.” Giggles met his response. 

“So,” Kayura started, “what's the orb that you brought back?”

“It makes you feel miserable, so don't touch it,” Shuu said.

“Yeah,” Touma agreed. “don't go near it. For some reason, it will make you relive very, very sad memories.”

“We need it when we're going up to try and get the whale.” 

She contemplated this before looking at Touma, “Well, if it makes you relive your worst memories and we have to carry it with us, I'll carry it for you.”

A loud chorus of ‘No’ came swiftly.

“I don't have that many memories and you lived your whole lives. I've been asleep most of mine, so wouldn't that make more sense?”

“And we don't want you reliving anything Badamon put you through,” Anubisu said firmly.

“But I don't mind. Why would I allow any of you to go through that if I could do it for you?”

“Because here's the thing,” Shuu said as Tarea jumped down and weaved around Kayura’s legs. “We don't know exactly what you were put through, but you lived in the Youjakai, and you were kept away from the rest of the Masho. We don't know what kind of possible horrible things that happened to you or you were made to do that you don't remember. And I would rather you not remember any of that. If you were made to do something terrible, I don't want you to remember it suddenly.”

“We know what Badamon did to us and we wouldn't want you to experience even a fraction of that.” Anubisu agreed.

“We've gotten past the bad things in our lives, and we can cope,” Shuu said.

“I would still do it for you.” She said, watching the cat watch her.

Shuu took her face in his hands, “And that means a lot to us that you would be willing to take that burden up. We appreciate it a lot. But I couldn't be okay if you held that thing and something bad came back, something that you were made to do and you've relived it. What kind of man would I be if I put that on you?”

“I have a compromise,” Touma suggested. “When we go to do the thing, we all take turns, go up a flight of stairs, then pass the ball.”

Nasuti nodded, “That's a good idea. I was thinking the same thing.”

“And if it’s too hard for anybody during their turn, I would act to fall back.” Shuu offered. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Touma said as he heard steps coming from outside their door.

Seiji and Shin appeared, and they noticed the change in their demeanor when passing the sphere. 

Shuu called to them, “Don't mind the depression ball.”

“The what?” Seiji asked, feeling the hated sense of isolation. 

Touma waved them in, “Just come in, get away from the front door.”

Getting past the door, they felt better. Seiji asked, “What was that?”

“You know how we were told that we needed the beacon to get the whale? We found it yesterday and Naaza and I put a down payment on it and Shuu and I went to pick it up today. When you get close to that thing, you get sad ass memories and you feel really fucked up.”

Kayura chimed in, “I offered to carry it to take the burden off of everyone else.”

Shin smiled at Kayura. “That’s a kind offer, but this beacon is meant to help us recover my armor. It should be my burden to carry.”

Seiji shook his head, thinking the same arguments that happened before he arrived. “This isn't something just one person could carry, it would be too much.” 

“So, Touma and I have a theory,” Shuu said. He pointed to Nasuti as she started giggling, “Shut up. We know Kayura doesn't remember a lot of things. We were afraid that holding it for too long may make her remember things that maybe she would be better off not.”

“I agree,” Seiji said. Shin nodded.

Kayura huffed and stomped a foot. “I also fought in the war and would do my utmost to be equal.”

“I know, kiddo, I know.”

“You don't remember any of it,” Anubisu insisted. “And we want to keep it that way.”

Touma agreed, “We're not doing this to make you feel less than us. We're doing this because we like you, and we're trying to protect you.”

“Yes, but I'm also trying to protect you!”

“Like, if you did that and you remember something,” Shuu paused, “I can only imagine if somebody made me do things I didn't wanna do, I don't know how I could keep living knowing I did something heinous. Even if it wasn’t me who did it.”

“Which is why we should spread this out,” Seiji insisted. He watched Nasuti whisper something in Shuu’s ear that made him cringe. He hoped it was about the hint he would kill himself if he were in Kayura’s shoes. “Kayura, we're not saying that you can't carry this burden. We’re just saying you're not the only one to carry this burden.”

She seemed to agree with this. “As long as I get to help shoulder the burden, that's enough.”

“You can take it up the first flight of stairs,” Touma suggested.

Nodding, “I will do my utmost.”

“Awesome!”

“I’ll do it too,” Nasuti said. “The more people we can spread it out, the easier it'll be on everybody else.” Touma opened his mouth to say something, and Nasuti held her hand up. “Yes, Touma. I am going to do this.”

Changing course, Touma answered, “You say that like I can try and stop you.”

“That's because you can't,” she said smugly. “If we could get the Suiko armor back swiftly, that would benefit us. So, we should have a plan.”

“We want to try and do this now?” Touma asked. 

“The less time we have to spend with the depression ball, the better,” Shuu agreed.

Nasuti looked to Anubisu, “Would you get the rest of the Masho so we can form a plan?”

Anubisu bowed to her, “As you wish.” And he went. 

“Thank you, onii-san,” Kayura chimed. “I have many questions about this Game Boy – we can't show Rajura the magic brick, or he’ll get mad.”

“I’ll take the Game Boy back because I’m not going to chance him trying to break it.”

“If this is a Game Boy, is there a Game Girl?”

“Uhh,” Touma shot a glare to Shuu, who burst out laughing. “Um, no, for a Game Boy, he flies solo, but there are some games that are for girls.”

“Oh,” she sounded confused, still. “So, you're a nerd about this Game Boy?”

“Yes, yes, I am.” And Touma launches into a history of the company and all the types of games. 

~~~

“Why don’t we make it like a relay race,” Shin suggested. They tried to put an order to carry the sphere without depleting too many of them before getting to the roof. Because Shin was most necessary for the armor, they agreed he should have a break. “The group moves up and then the person follows until they get to the next person.”

“It would be better to have that person in front,” Anubisu countered. “That way, if they’re paralyzed by the memories, it would be easier to push them forward.”

“I got an idea,” Touma rummaged through the box again. He pulled out the plunger and held it like a torch. “Maybe we can stick it to the orb, and then we don't have to touch it.”

“What? Kind of like the scepter of sorrow here?” Shuu said.

“Are you out of your mind?” Nasuti said. “What if it doesn't work and the thing falls and breaks?” Touma slumped, still holding the plunger.

“How about a net?” Shin suggested. “We can attach it to the rope Shuu has and haul it up that way.”

“Sure! I’ll go grab it.”

Nasuti nodded, “We have all those cables. Would those work to make a net?”

“Yes, that would work well.” Shin agreed.

Nasuti grabbed the box of cables out of the back of Shin’s car and pulled out several of the longer ones. Shin laid them out and began weaving one with the other, tying small knots at regular intervals. It almost didn’t work when Tarea zoomed in, swatting at the cables and being a nuisance. Kayura grabbed her, holding the squirming bundle that wanted to play with the wires. 

Shin held up the finished net shortly after, needing just the rope to tie it all together when the building started to shake. The low rumble echoed from all directions outside. Shin dropped the net as he lost his balance and ended up on the floor with Touma. The rest of them kept their feet as the shaking stopped. Anubisu picked up frizzed out Tarea, who now looked more like a Halloween decoration.

“Is everyone okay?” Nasuti called out. Everyone agreed as they checked the structure to make sure it was stable.

“We should check on Shuu,” Shin suggested as Kayura ran to the window to see what happened.

Downstairs, Shuu righted himself, checking the buildings and cars around him for falling debris, but all looked stable. It wasn’t a massive earthquake, about six if he guessed right. Something was coming down because he could see the dust in the east. He dug the rope from his car and was glad he brought it.

“My friend!” A hearty cry came up and he could feel the ground shaking again, but this time from massive running feet. “Do you see what's going on?”

“No, my man, earthquake?”

“I don't know I was working with the girls and I was moving the boxes and then everything fell down and they went upstairs. I went outside and I saw the big building and I thought, ‘they need to know about this.’”

Looking in the east, Shuu could see the new building. “What the fuck?”

“I'm not drunk, am I?”

“No, not unless I'm drunk. What are we going to do about this?”

Aki chirped from Ibaraki’s hair and he reached up to pet him. “Aki is fine. He was scared.”

“I totally get it. Let’s get back up and make sure the others are fine.”

Upstairs, Kayura called out, “There's a new building on the horizon, and I don't recall seeing that before!”

Touma grabbed up his binoculars and looked at the new building. What stood out wasn’t that it was white or more than double the size of anything else around it. No, what caught his attention was the large, scaly hand disappearing into the clouds, as if it set the building down from the heavens. “Okay, that’s some serious Monty Python shit there.” He mumbled.

“What did you say, Touma?” Shin asked.

“This place is getting weirder and weirder. There was a hand that was, like, around the building and then it disappeared in the clouds. So, something brought that building here.” He tried to explain but realized that he didn’t even make sense to himself.

From out in the hall, they heard bellowing. “Is everyone okay?” Ibaraki and Shuu came in. “Shuten, did you see that new building?”

“We were just discussing that,” he replied from where he was leaning against a chair.

“Good, good,” Ibaraki nodded, “Little man with blue hair, have you seen the new building?”

“Yes, I was looking at it through my magical binoculars.”

“And what did you see?”

Touma launched into lecture mode. “It's very tall and goes almost to the clouds. Which is weird because I thought the clouds were higher, and they are in our world. I’m guessing about 80 stories for the building, meaning it's about 1300-1400’ tall. Which is really low for clouds, but it's hard to judge the height of clouds because they - ” he was cut off as Seiji cleared his throat.

“Anyways,” Touma continued, “It looks like something brought it here. A big hand put it in place - a big, dark, and leathery hand.”

“Oh, you saw that too?” Ibaraki asked.

“Yeah. Wait; what?”

“I've seen that before it has brought other buildings.”

“Where?” Touma wanted to know. If it brought this building, that meant more than just plopping a structure down, especially with the surrounding streets and landscaping.

“Far, far to the West. Metal buildings with many small metal boxes at the edge all of a sudden. There was this earthquake and these hands came from the sky and put down a new building. I tried to fight it, but it disappeared. Have you been to the edge?”

“I don't think we have.”

“So, you can fall off the world here?” Shuu asked.

“Yes,” Ibaraki nodded. “Into the sea. And I don't know if you know what's in the sea, but it is not pleasant.”

Rajura nodded, “The spider sisters have warned us about that.”

“Hey, guys,” Ryo said. “We can worry about that white building later.”

Nasuti agreed. “Let’s get the Suiko armor first. Then, we’ll have an advantage if we’re going so close to the sea.”

“What are you going to do?” Ibaraki inquired.

Touma smiled, “We’re going to try to catch the whale in the sky!”

“Oh, why do you want the whale?”

“Because it’s super sad and we’re trying to figure out how to make it less sad. And if we help it, maybe it will let us figure out how to get Shin-buddy his armor back.” Shuu answered.

Shin shrugged when Ibaraki looked at him. “It’s our best lead.”

Ibaraki puffed out his chest, “I will help catch the whale because I'm off my shift and if I go back to my house, convenience store thing, I will just be terribly bored. And I’m not supposed to steal from people anymore.” He looked to Shuten, who nodded.

“I can respect that,” Touma cut in. “but I should warn you that the bait that we're going to use to catch the whale makes people very sad to be around. Are you good with that, dude, I mean, man or oni?

Ibaraki got right in Touma’s face, “Have you ever seen an oni cry?”

“No, but you are the first oni I ever saw,” Touma answered. When Ibaraki looked over to Shuten, Touma quickly added. “We didn’t know him at the time. He kept that a secret, almost playing a game on us.”

Shuten said, “I was still learning to be better.” 

Smiling conspiratorially, Ibaraki winked at Shuten. “Well, I am going with you, so let's go!” He turned and marched off. 

The group watched him leave. Shuu shook his head as he handed Shin the rope, “He’ll wait for us, somewhere.” 

After netting up the sphere and realizing it didn’t have that far of a range before people started to feel bad, the group went down. Shuu insisted on carrying the sphere. He knew what some of the others went through in their lives and figured his life was pretty good if all he heard were some cackling of bad words. Touma felt terrible and he didn’t even want to play with the Game Boy until away from this, so he’s got some baggage. He looked over at Rajura and his missing eye and Anubisu with the scar and knew they’d been through some tough shit in their lives. All of the Masho take potshots at each other when they’re not outright fighting and they’re supposed to be friends now, so what was life like when they actually meant it? Those words he kept hearing would probably slide right off their back. He’s kinda pathetic thinking of words and –

Shin touched Shuu’s arm, breaking the line of thought. It faded a bit and he nodded. Shin just smiled tightly.

They found Ibaraki sitting against Seiji’s car. As he saw them, he stood up, and the car creaked as the suspension relaxed. They could hear a sigh from Seiji. They motioned over to the black building, not caring much for discussion under the influence of the sphere. Touma and Shin stayed with Shuu, but the others hung back out of range. Rajura kept a hand on Kayura’s shoulder, preventing her from getting within its influence, to her displeasure.

The ujigami were flickering oddly as they entered. A red one zoomed up to them, but seemed to dim in the sphere’s influence before backing off. “Are you okay did you see the new building?”

Nasuti stood off to the side, but answered, “We're okay, are you guys okay?”

The ujigami floated up to her, “No, we're distraught!” It flickered, and a ripple seemed to go through the rest.

“How come?” Ryo asked.

Seiji stepped forward, “Do bad things happen when new buildings show up?”

“Usually. We haven't had a new building in a while and we don't know about that building. It's usually not good. You weren't attacked? You're okay?” It flickered over to Ibaraki. “Oh, hello, big man. Are you here to see someone?”

“We would like to go to the roof, is that okay with you?” Seiji answered.

It made a bobbing motion. “Yes, just be careful.”

The group filed into the stairway, but unlike the last time, it was littered with pieces of equipment and people. Several naga and Hibiscus were carrying boxes. She waved to Seiji, who was in front, “Are you guys alright? You saw it too, I suppose.”

“We did!” Seiji answered. “What do you know about what happens when these buildings appear?”

Hibiscus answered, “Something brings them down from the sky. At least, that's how we think most of these buildings got here in the first place. But whatever it is that puts these buildings down fills the buildings with malice. It's terrible! It's where the keukegen and jiangshi came from, so there's no telling what could be in this building.”

“Do the creatures inside pour out immediately or does it take time?”

“The jiangshi took their time, but the keukegen came out immediately.” Hibiscus shook her head.

“Was this beyond even the Delphi’s powers to see?”

“I didn't ask about that.”

“And she doesn't volunteer information,” Seiji finished that thought.

“No,” she said sadly. “Not usually. We’ve moved to the 4th floor if you would like to see her.”

They looked at Shuu, who was carrying the sphere. Shuu just shrugged, “It's up to you guys.”

“Do we want to see her? Or do we want to see if we can get Shin his armor?” Touma asked.

“Maybe she has a hint on how to get the armor,” Shin suggested.

“We won't even charge you for this one. It's kind of a special case,” Hibiscus suggested. Then she noticed Shuu, “What do you have there?”

“That's our fun little depression ball. We need it for something, that's why we're here. Don't get too close to it. It makes you sad.” Touma told her. 

“Yeah, having a party back here,” Shuu snapped.

Hibiscus waved them up behind her. The naga were moving various pieces of tech, and Touma’s eyes popped from part to piece. He picked up some pieces that lay in the stairs when they saw Diya and Touma called to him. “I hope nothing too important broke.”

“Unfortunately, it was a kind of a precious item and we're not sure how we're going to replace it.” He noticed Touma cringe. “You seem like a man who appreciates technology.”

“You have no idea,” He blushed.

“It was our mapping device. We almost created a detailed map of the whole area with this machine, but as we were moving it up the stairs, it fell out of our grasp.”

Knowing what that would do, Touma felt their pain. “How bad is it? Is it completely unsalvageable?”

“We have most of the pieces on the third floor. It might take a while before we can repair it.”

“I'm more than happy to help, however I can.”

Diya looked him up and down, not even sparing a glance at the others. “Are you busy?” 

Touma looked back at the group, hopeful, and Diya seemed to understand. “Maybe when you're done with whatever you're doing presently, you can help.”

“We're going to go do something with, well,” he waved at the sphere Shuu held. “And when we're done, I will come back and see if I can help you.”

Nodding, the naga said, “Ah, yes. I shall join you, take notes, if you don’t mind.” And when Touma nodded, he followed him up the stairs.

Hibiscus led them up to the 4th floor, which they found in disarray. Some of the ceiling tiles had come loose and cubicles had fallen over or were messed up. It would take some work to get this place nice. 

The Oracle sat in an old office chair spinning around. Hibiscus motioned them over, “She's alright, we're alright. We really didn't lose anything important. Not like the naga. You should've heard them curse; they were so angry.”

Touma nodded, “I've heard other tech boy's swearing a deep rage so I can imagine.”

She agreed, “It was bad.” She called to the Oracle. “Delphi, these people are trying to get to the top of the tower, you know, of our building to talk to the whale. They had some questions for you. I told them it would be free of charge because we obviously got that new building in town and they've been such a big help to us.” She nodded.

“What do we ask?” Ryo asked.

Shuu huffed, “I don't know. Just fucking ask so we get this over with.”

Seiji stepped forward, “Is there anything in particular that we should be careful of as we embark on our mission?”

The Oracle placed both hands over her heart. Seiji bowed to her and stepped back.

Touma thought of something and pushed Shuu forward. “We've been told that this can help the whale. Do you know how we can get a hold of the whale so we can use it?”

She thought a moment, then looked over to Hibiscus. It took a moment, but then she nodded with a smile and started digging through the box. When she pulled out a ball, she handed it to the oracle, who held the ball over her head.

“Okay, thank you,” Touma said as he gave her a big thumbs up. She returned it, which had a few of them laughing.

With no one else stepping up to the plate, Rajura sighed quietly to himself and stepped before the Oracle. "I'm assuming there are beasts in the new building that will need to be dealt with. Will the people out there be relatively safe while we deal with the whale?"

The Oracle lifted her head to Rajura and nodded once, then folded her hands one over the other, palms down. Extending her fingers and entwining her thumbs, she smiled.

Ibaraki tilted his head and huffed. “The girls? Hmph. They are more wily than I realized!”

When no one else asked any questions, Hibiscus leaned against an old desk, the rich wood grain skin a sharp contrast to the sterile environment of the fourth-floor offices. "You guys be careful, okay? I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered quietly. Before objections could be raised, the dryad quickly approached Shin and cupped his cheek gently in her hand. "Look, you be safe, okay? You're my favorite baby druid. You come back here when you're done and you see Hibiscus again."

The Oracle shook her head while Shin’s cheeks turned bright red. 

"Delphi, please. I know you already know. Just let me be concerned."

Outside on the stairwell, Diya continued his mission of picking up all of the pieces of the machinery. The naga stayed down on the third floor but could be heard speaking to someone else. The climb resumed.

Shuu brought up the rear, holding the rope attached to the net which housed the Beacon of Sorrow. The glass orb, empty for now, bumped and banged up each step, the sound seemingly becoming louder with each passing moment.

The group rounded the corner to begin the ascent from the fourth floor to the fifth, each person preserving their strength for the long climb.

The scent of wood and incense filled their noses, the sound of clinking dishes, forks and knives scraping plates, and the chatter of diners reached their ears. At the base of the stairs to the fifth floor, next to the door, stood two modern, middle-aged women, their mouths hidden behind their hands.

Shuu huffed a bit, barely paying any attention to the sounds or smells. “Just vivid memories from the shitty sad-ball,” he thought. But then, as he looked up from his feet, he saw them. His two distant Aunties... 

"Āyí?" He choked a bit at the sight of them. "Fāshēngle shénme?" He asked aloud, slipping comfortably back into Mandarin. His breath came rapidly. Oh shit. Oh. Shit. This wasn't all in his head? Or- or maybe it was, and it had become some kind of vivid hallucination? "G-guys?" He asked, gulping air as he stood frozen on the step, unable to get up to that landing and stand beside his aunties as they whispered. "Guys, am I the only one seeing this? H-have I cracked or something?" 

Rajura paused in their climb at hearing the crack in Kongo's voice. He looked back over his shoulder with a furrowed brow. "No, I can see this as well." Turning around to face the scene entirely, he examined what was going on between the two older women and then steadied his gaze on Shuu. "Are you well?"

"Y-yeah. I-I'm fine." He stammered, but it was hollow. His breath puffed in and out, but he couldn’t get his legs to go up any more stairs.

"What are they saying," Shin asked.

"Nothing!" Shuu snapped, immediately defensive at someone seeing his stupid, petty, 'saddest memory.' Right away, he felt like an asshole for snapping at Shin. Shin was his best friend, and he didn't deserve to take the brunt of Shuu's frustration like that. Just one more reason why his Āyí over there was probably right. 

"S-sorry." He stammered. “Oh, she’s right, I’m so sorry, Shin,” his mind pleaded. His throat felt tight and he screwed up his face, eyes pressing shut and mouth tight. “You will NOT cry, Rei! You will buck the fuck up and be a damn man because if you can't do this, what the fuck else are you good for?” Taking a loud gulp and exhaling, he continued. "She's speaking Mandarin." He clarified. Not being aware that Shin couldn't hear her. "And it's just a bunch of stupid shit that doesn't matter. S'not worth the time. We still going? Or what?" He asked through grinding teeth. As another few words from his Aunty came out, he seemed to shrink a little deeper in on himself.

The Trooper snapping gave Rajura pause. Instead of dismissively shrugging it off, the Masho approached him and held out his hand for the rope.

"You've done a commendable job taking the sphere this far, Shuu-san. Please, allow me to carry it for a while."

He grimaced. "Come on, man. Now you're pitying me, huh?" He asked. Fuck, he felt like such a god damn failure.

Rajura shook his head, hand still outstretched. "Not this time. You have a stronger will than I've given you credit for, but everyone has their limit. There is no shame in reaching that limit."

Shuu lifted his chin somewhat, as though trying to find it in him to resist any further. The two women leaned in closer, said something in almost a laughing manner to one another, and the last bit of Shuu's stubborn foundation crumbled. Immediately, his eyes glossed, and he turned his head sharply away. 

Croaking, he shakily handed the rope over to Rajura, "O-okay." He said and turned his back to the group. "You guys-" Desperate to not let them hear his voice crack. "You guys go on. I'll catch up in two shakes of a lamb's tail." He sat down on the stairwell, his elbows on his knees as he seemed to stare pointedly down the well and not turn his face to the others. "If I'm good for anything, it's my stamina. I'll be fine. See you all in a minute."

“Shuu-dude is perturbed by these women,” Ibaraki mumbled. “I would offer to punch them, for I am very good at punching, but he does not seem to be in the mood for that.” The oni frowned, giving a huff to the naga that slithered in front of him. Diya was undisturbed, jotting down a physical description of the women, Shuu’s reaction, and observations of the beacon itself.

Shin hesitated, wanting to stay with his friend, but knowing completing their task was more important. He put a reassuring hand on Shuu's shoulder before catching up to the others.

The Masho nodded to the warrior before giving the ball a small glare. "Let's see how you fare against a master of illusions, shall we?" Giving the rope a rough tug as though he were escorting a prisoner, Rajura began the ascent up the winding stairwell.

As the ground ascended the next set of stairs, the scent of plum blossoms filled their noses. Samisen strings danced on a strange breeze, a song being played and played again in practice. Sitting on the top of the stairs was a young lady, her hair done up elaborately and a hairpin with cascading flowers at the crown. Her skin was porcelain, and her hair was deep purple, almost black. She smiled sweetly at Rajura.

The Masho's one eye stared at her as he froze mid-step. One moment turned into two, into three, and he shook his head to clear it, but he couldn't shake the heaviness he suddenly felt in his chest. "No. This is just an illusion," he reassured himself before casting another glare at the beacon. He forced himself to walk past the phantom, not even giving her another passing glance.

Shuten looked back at the woman giving Rajura a cloyingly sweet smile. "Someone from another life," he said softly to Rajura. It wasn't... really a question.

Rajura glanced at Shuten and gave him a simple nod. He didn't dare speak a word, as though it would summon up memories that were best left buried, where they belonged.

Touma had been taken aback by the first set of ghosts. He didn't know who those ladies were any more than he'd known what to say as he passed Shuu. He knew he probably should have said or done something, but what? He wasn't good at that. The lady who was smiling at Rajura was beautiful, even if she too was a ghost. He remained quiet and silence seemed to be the best option.

The young lady, clad in her finery, seemed enthused by Rajura's presence. She stopped playing her samisen and gathered herself up, taking dainty steps to follow behind the Masho. Her mouth moved in silence, smile widening, eyes bright. She was looking up at him, standing on his right side, leaning to catch a glimpse of his face.

She reached out to grasp his arm. The Masho could feel her hand upon his flesh, real as he remembered her. Her skin smelled of a familiar perfume. It was as though the spider had been hit with a jolt of electricity. His back arched as his entire body seized up, the fingers on the hand that had been casually sliding up the railing curling painfully into a claw.

Rajura forgot to breathe: the smell and image were one thing, but to feel her touch, hear her voice speaking his name, that name... His legs refused to move any further as he slowly turned his gaze to the woman. 

"F-Fumiko...san?" His voice was raspy as he reached out a hand to touch her, only to pull it back sharply.

"No, no, no, this...this isn't real. It can't be real. Get ahold of yourself..." He forced himself to look away, but he was still glued to the spot.

Watching the others and seeing no one else moving, Anubisu stepped out of the group and to Rajura. He wasn't sure what he could do, but maybe just being right there or seeing past and present mix would lessen the impact.

Shin did a double-take at the jewel held by Rajura. "Guys, is it just me, or is the beacon turning the color of Suiko?"

Shuten, unsure of what this woman was doing to Rajura, reached a hand out to touch the other man's shoulder. "Rajura... Rajura?" He asked. "What are you experiencing? Is it pain?" He asked. He had assumed that the ghosts they had seen before had struck a chord with Kongo. He believed the other man to wear his heart on his sleeve and so was not surprised to see him struggle with intense emotion. But this was Rajura. This reaction was, as far as he was aware, out of character. "I think... you may be experiencing the haunting differently from the rest of us. What can we do?"

The Masho didn't dare look up from the fascinating stain on the cement floor. "No, not...pain. I just..." He licked his lips, pausing. "I wasn't expecting this to be so...viscerally real." He managed a brief chuckle. "I'd be impressed if I wasn't so...disturbed. I haven't...She hasn't crossed my mind in centuries." Rajura closed his eye and took a steady breath, and then another. "I'll be alright. I think."

Blissfully unaware of anyone else’s presence, the specter of Rajura’s past kept pace with him during his ascent, her coquettish giggle was music only for his ears. He'd been able to look forward and begin his ascent again when the woman was suddenly before him open armed, the heady scent practically choking him. But the eye...her leaning...

Her left eye, once brilliant, had changed to a deep, sickly yellow, and it wept gangrenous tears, staining her lovely kimono.

Taking out her samisen again, she played a disjointed tune for him, swaying too harshly back and forth.

Now he remembered. It was so long ago, but he remembered. Rajura reached up to touch the simple eye patch on his face...and then sat down on the nearest step. As he shut his eye tight and covered the lower half of his face with his hand, he thrust out his opposite arm with the rope. His voice cracked.

"Take it."

Anubisu took the rope, wrapping it once around his hand, the apparition swaying at the top of the stairs fell apart. Her last giggle, the last breath of her sickeningly sweet perfume, dissipated into gray ashes. The music ceased. He touched Rajura on the shoulder as he passed, knowing he wouldn’t want to talk. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming and kept telling himself the dead can't hurt anyone.

Cold breezes began to blow through the stairwell as the group ascended. The slamming of sliding paper doors and the stomping of heavy feet reached their ears. 

Upon the next landing lay a body, her hair long and white with age. Her kimono was gray-brown, ancient, faded, and tattered—well-loved and well-worn. The body faced away from the group.

Even though he knew it was coming, Anubisu still flinched at his grandmother’s form. He was almost relieved when he was spared watching her die again. He forced himself to step over her body without stopping, silently slipping into her tongue, амар амгалан эмээ.   
(rest peacefully, grandmother)

Upon the next set of stairs sat a middle-aged man, dark of hair and tan of skin. Another female body lay behind him on the stairs above from which trickled a slow river of fresh blood downward. She was younger, hair long and deep like the night.

It was always the blood he saw most vividly. The stark contrast, the shine… The way it slowed and pooled into perfectly rounded puddles. It was always left behind when that monster came. 

The man brandished a knife.

Seiji’s hand automatically flew to his mace before remembering it was an apparition. He slid into place near Anubisu, letting several others move past him.

Touma stared at the false bodies, the trickling blood, then to the man and Anubisu.

It was the slow, destructive smile that stole the breath from Anubisu’s lungs. Those hated last words, the last thing this man ever said to him, echoed in the halls – the word murderer echoing so loud, over and over, he was sure the others could hear it. And no one was left to deny it since эмээ died.

As he stood up, the knife glinted in light that wasn’t real, clean and straight, but Anubisu knew it wouldn’t be long. He wanted to run, but his grandmother was behind him and there was nowhere to go – no way to fight. As the man stepped one stair down at a time, larger than life based on his childhood memories, and Anubisu had the thought, maybe it would be better if he just let it happen this time.

Seiji stepped between Anubisu and the murderous-looking specter. “He’s not yours to torment,” he said sharply. 

"So, this is what haunts you?" Another figure stepped between Anubisu and the phantom, standing near Seiji. "I can't say I quite understand but I, for one, am not ready to carry that beacon just yet." Words spilled forth from the green-haired Masho at the ghost. "I doubt I could really do any sort of damage to you, seeing as you aren't real." He looked to Seiji. "But I -have- seen you exorcise a spirit, Korin-san; perhaps this would be an ideal test of some of your new abilities?"

“I’m concerned that, being a product of the orb, there is no true spirit to exorcise.”

"Are you sure that will work?" Touma asked. He was not looking forward to what he knew would happen when it was his turn. However, "We don't even know if these are actual spirits or just ghosts in our minds."

Naaza audibly groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He muttered something under his breath, then pulled Seiji in to whisper to him with gritted teeth. “Just pretend.”

Seiji flickered his eyes over at Naaza and gave him a tiny nod of acknowledgment. “I think the orb grows stronger each time it’s passed to someone new, and it gains access to their mind. Assuming it's not just feeding on us.” Seiji’s expression hardened. He reached back and took Anubisu’s arm to encourage him to keep climbing the stairs. “We’ll simply need to be more vigilant in guarding ourselves against it.”

Seiji’s body began to glow, not with the same intensity as when he exorcised the demon from Shuten in the hospital, but with something that would be steadier and last longer. 

“You will not touch nor harm him,” he said sharply to the specter, keeping himself solidly between the creature silently shouting and Anubisu. He didn’t know what words were being spoken but they were cutting straight through to his friend? Comrade? 

Anubisu heard those words Seiji said before… эмээ said them. He knew no one else had put themselves between him and danger – until now. Before and behind, they stood. Seiji was touching him, actually voluntarily touching him. 

“Push past this,” He said to them, finding a little strength at not being suddenly alone facing this. “I won’t let him beat me again.” The warm glow of Seiji’s light didn’t hurt this time but seemed to help.

Ryo kept trudging up the stairs, disturbed by everybody's memories. "God, I'd even take that annoying 'Happy' song over all of this."

The specter of moments past seemed not to notice Seiji in the slightest, his angry glare locked solely on Anubisu. Being so close, Seiji noticed the two men shared many similar characteristics - hair, skin tone, eye color, jawline.

Strangely, as incensed as the man was, he did not take a step towards the Yami Masho, just mouthed apparent insults and accusations.

Kayura set her jaw and joined Seiji in standing between Anubisu and the ghost, whom she accosted loudly. "I know not who you are or what you want, but you will not harm him." With a flick of her wrist, a familiar pair jitte appeared in a flash of purple, starry light. It seemed as though her strange powers were increasing. One jitte in each hand, Kayura took on a stance reminiscent of the first war.

"I didn't do this," Anubisu insisted, answering the specter who waved at blood and bodies, but it pulled at old wounds. He drove forward, closer to the woman's body, the others giving him strength.

Shuten stepped up to stand right behind Anubisu. "We are with you." He said, firmly.

The specter stood firm, mouth pulled taut into a thin line. Hatred poured from him in waves. He hated Anubisu in a deep and primal way. 

Kayura would not stand for it, pointing her jitte straight at his chest. Ghost or not, if it was sentient, perhaps it would understand force of will. “Step aside. We ascend and you will not stop us.”

When the man made no motion to get out of their way, she pressed her blade forward... finding nothing but air. No resistance.

Still wishing to give the bodies of the women due respect, Kayura hopped up two steps - over the body and through the apparition. She turned around, holding her jitte with one hand and extended the other to Anubisu in invitation.

Anubisu looked at the jitte offered, the part of his mind locked in the memory had no idea what to do with it. But, muscle memory took over and he pulled his dagger. “Back down,” he said with all the strength he had left to his father, something he would have never done in real life. 

It smirked, challenging him. Anubisu pushed Kayura out of the way, slashing at the specter – years of hatred and anger fueling the wild swing. It caught the swing, countering with it’s own, only to be blocked and re-attacked. But that left an opening, one which was exploited, and a phantom dagger, held by a spectral hand, slipped past a guard that had long since closed the gap, and the spirit metal met flesh, slicing and drawing blood.

Anubisu stabbed the specter through the throat, crossing the spinal cord as Kayura yanked the rope from his grip. He felt the burn as it pulled past his skin and the specter faded into dust. The pain of the stab didn’t fade as his mind held onto the wound, even if nothing physical remained. Even the blood faded, leaving smooth skin and pristine cloth.

He sank against the wall, breathing deeply and reveling in the satisfaction that the memory was excised.

"Anubisu!" Shuten was started by the attack. "Anubisu, are you injured?" He asked, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder.

Though his steps weren't quite so hurried, Naaza went to the other's side, looking him over. He'd seen the wound as the others had, had instinctually gone to tend to it, only for it to disappear as though it had never happened.

"Well, this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" He said to no one in particular.

Kayura moved to kneel beside Anubisu but found no room on the crowded stairwell. Instead, she sat on the top step, coiling the rope around her arm.

Diya slithered further up to get a better look at the fallen mashou. "So... it stabbed you? I thought the apparitions were incorporeal..." The naga scribbled notes while Ibaraki studied the orb in the net.

"I could stomp on this! It is causing so much distress."

"Please don't stomp on it, Iba-san." Kayura warned. Her blue eyes darted to the orb whose light was shining brighter than last she saw it. "We need it for Shin-san's armor. The... the special armor."

Ibaraki snorted. "It best be special armor, for all the trouble this thing is causing."

Seiji lingered one step down from the landing, wanting to check on Anubisu but not feeling quite comfortable doing so now that the threat had passed. The Masho had him. They knew him best, after all. What could he do that they couldn’t? He glared at the orb causing all this trouble and instinctively tried to push the glow surrounding himself to match the orb’s intensity.

"It feels real," Anubisu said, and he held up his hand, expecting to see blood, "but nothing actually happened." He looked from Naaza to Seiji, hoping the latter would stay.

Seeing the plaintive look on Anubisu’s face and the silent plea there, Seiji stood a bit taller, his back stiffening. He still had a duty to perform.

"Still..." Naaza stood up, giving Kayura his full attention. "We shouldn't linger. If it is getting stronger with each person who holds it, the illusions could potentially become deadly. The sooner we get it to the top, the better."

Kayura bowed her head to Naaza and stood, glancing up the stairwell. “It’s alright, Naaza-san.” Looking back at the orb, Kayura’s expression was one of resignation. “I already know what I’m going to see. I’m ready.”

"Then let's go," he said, waiting for her to take point. He glanced behind him at the others, his gaze lingering on Anubisu, but he said nothing and eventually just followed the lady ancient up the stairs.

~~~

While the others moved on without him, Rajura's head drooped behind his hands. There were no signs of him crying, just deep and slow breaths.

Within a moment, a sniffling sound reached his ears, following the rhythmic pace of the soft-soled shoes. Shuu's voice came to him, a soft, quiet, "Well... fuck." He stood on the landing below, cradling that cat as a mother cradles an infant. His face was red, and his eyes puffy. "Hey, man," Shuu said in greeting.

With a quick motion, Rajura slid one hand through his hair to move it out of his face and leaned on one knee to look up. He forced himself to smile, "Hello."

"You too, huh?" He asked, sitting down next to him, but with enough respect to keep his gaze focused down the stairwell.

The Masho let out a heavy sigh as he followed the other's gaze. "Yes," and then he chuckled sadly, making a sweeping motion with his hand. "For all my bluster, I only made it two floors. Congratulations, you've beaten the master of illusions at resisting illusions."

Shuu just shrugged, "Doesn't feel that great." He nuzzled the kitty. "Thought if I ever beat you out on something, I'd end up feeling all cocksure. I'd really hoped I was just too weak." He moped. "I'm not going to demand you tell me what you saw, ‘cause a man's gotta be allowed to keep his secrets sometimes, and I'm not in the mood for any tit for tat right now. But I just wanna say I'm sorry for whatever you had to deal with."

Rajura raised an eyebrow at him. "If you had demanded it, I would most certainly not tell you out of sheer spite." The little bit of bluster wore out fast as he looked down at the upturned palms of his hands. "I thought I was prepared for what the beacon might do to me. I could not have been more wrong. It dug, very deep, into memories I had long since forgotten about." His palms closed gently. "It...was as though it were fresh in my mind...not just the memory but the pain of it."

Shuu rubbed at his chest, where it was still feeling tight and he was tempted to cry again. "Yeah, man. It was real as hell. I'm just lucky that in mine, they were speaking Chinese, so no one else was gonna understand what they were saying. You get so lucky, too?"

Rajura finally looked over at him. "No one could hear them speaking, Shuu-san, so, yes. I suppose I was lucky that no one could hear her." He shook his head, letting his gaze drop. "She reached out and touched me. It was so...overwhelming."

Shuu felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. "W-wait so, like, like, you could FEEL it? I thought they were just, like, sight and sound and smell illusions kinda like yours... but... like... touch?" He was gobsmacked.

"So did I," he said quietly, becoming quiet as he stared at his hands again. "I could have handled that, I think. But, even just the once was...enough." He frowned. "Then, her image became...I'm not sure how to describe it. Her eye became damaged and seeping pus, but that never happened to her. I suspect it was meant as a painful reminder to me."

Shuu looked back down the hallway. "Oh, man. I'm sorry. That was so much worse than mine. Damn, if it took some of ‘The Grudge’ shit to really knock you out, then I guess I did biff it bad... I didn't even get touched or have to see something scary. For fuck's sake, I'm such a weener." He groaned. "I'm sorry, man. I'm so sorry I couldn't tough it out, so you didn't have to see that. Fuck."

Rajura gave the young man an incredulous look. "Shuu-san...You carried that ball more than twice the length I did, and that's not including the travel time to bring it here. You should be proud of what you accomplished." He glanced upwards between the slit that revealed the length of stairs. "With any luck, our numbers will be enough that each person will only have to take one turn each to reach the top, but...I wouldn't mind having another round."

"I hear that. But I just keep thinking... like... maybe if I were tougher... maybe I could have taken it a few more flights and... and I don't know. It kills me that anyone else will have to deal with that bullshit. I have no idea what kinda scary shit it had to throw at you... but some of the guys up there? I maybe could guess. And I don't want them to have to do it... y'know? I mean, if you wanna do it again, I'm not gonna kink shame you, but you are least giving me the idea that maybe... if I try again... maybe I could make it further." Making sure the cat was secure, he pushed himself to his feet. "Come on. Let's go. I'm not about to let a stupid glass bowling ball hurt my friends if I can take some brunt for them. I guess you're probably thinking the same way?"

Rajura burst out laughing, but it was hardly sad this time. "Not in the least, Shuu-san. The men I served with have lived for centuries; they know what they're getting into, and I trust that, no matter how far they manage to make it, that they will do whatever is needed to succeed." He stood up to follow Kongo. "It’s commendable that you want to protect your friends from enduring the beacon, but I wouldn't push the issue too hard. Remember, they are warriors as well, and by insisting on taking the lion's share of the burden, you may end up inadvertently insulting them."

Then Rajura frowned, "I do worry about Naaza, though. He's never had a good handle on dealing with emotions. I know he's eager to be done with this, as uncomfortable as I'm sure it's going to make him."

Shuu sighed a bit. "UGH! I know, but like, what else am I good for, man?" He groused with no real venom. "All I’m good at is stubbornly standing back up every time I get knocked around. That's how I became the ultimate pain in your butt after all." The normal Shuu was starting to come back. "I couldn't even guess what kind of thing could get under Naaza's skin. I mean. It's not a snake pun or anything. I mean it literally. We saw him angry and frustrated, but, like, what could make a dude like that sad?"

"I don't know, but assuming we return swiftly, I imagine we'll find out, won't we?" He patted Shuu on his shoulder as he began to ascend. "I'm sure when things settle down, either I or someone else can give you a list of other things you're 'good at' if that's the sort of head-patting you require."

"Head patting!?" He snorted and then laughed a bit, charging a few steps ahead. "Oh man, you are just asking for me to be a pain in your butt again. Alright, once we deal with the orb of suck, it's back on, bro. I'll just punish you by getting Kayura another cute toy or something." He cackled. He wouldn't disgrace Rajura by being all mushy at him for helping him feel better. That wouldn't help the other man feel like things could be normal. Rajura probably appreciated playful teasing a lot more than mush.

Rajura laughed again, smirking as he watched Shuu expend his unrivaled stamina by going faster up the stairwell than was necessary and following at a casual pace. "Well, so much for complimenting you on your parenting skills," Rajura said quietly, though his old enemy might have overheard his words if he wasn't so eager.

Shuu paused for Rajura at the landing to allow him to catch up. "At least I ain't all bad." He added. "I've not taught Kay how to give the finger yet." 

An eyebrow curled upwards. "The what?"

"The finger? It's like saying 'fuck you' without SAYING anything." He said. "Like this-" And displayed his middle finger to Rajura. "But it's gotta be done right or it loses all power."

With a curious look, he copied the rude gesture. "Just so?"

Shuu scrunched up his face a bit and reached out. "Close. Just tuck in your thumb like so- and there. You are now commanding the world to sit on your dick. Great job."

"Ahh, I see. Yes, I would appreciate it if you didn't impart anything vulgar. She does need to learn diplomacy, after all," he smiled, lowering his hand.

Shuu shrugged. "It's a double-edged sword, my man. I'd rather she not give anyone The finger either. It's vulgar for a girl her age. BUT, I also understand that there may come a day where she MUST invoke its power. As such, she needs to know how to do it right. You teach a child respect for the sword before you give them the knowledge of how to use it." He nodded in mock wisdom.

For a man with centuries under his belt, Rajura looked impressed. He remained quietly thoughtful as he continued their climb. "Perhaps you are right."

Shuu shot up another landing and then waited for Rajura. "No offense. I've been to the Youjakai. You got a whole mess of people that probably deserve to be given the finger. And better, she learns it at home than on the streets, like my parents always say."

Rajura seemed confused at his words, but he didn't ask. Perhaps it was better that way. "Let's just...get back to the others."

Shuu nodded. "Um. I'm gonna admit I stopped paying attention to the floor numbers. Yeah, let's charge on ahead."


	30. Chapter 30

She had to be strong. She had to lead, like Rajura expected her to. Tightening her grip on the rope and casting one last glance at Anubisu, Kayura made her way up the stairs.

“He’ll be alright.”

Smoldering wood reached their noses and the sound of hoofbeats trailed close behind. 

Kayura knew what was coming.

Two terrified people, a man and a woman, stood at the top of the stairs. She was screaming silently as he moved in front of her protectively. Both locked eyes with Kayura for a brief second.

She remembered the scent of their skin, the timbre of his voice, the comfort of her fingers in Kayura’s hair. “Mama... Papa...”

They reached for their daughter but were ripped away from her by an unseen force, screaming as their bodies rocketed up the stairs and out of reach. Kayura kept moving. She couldn't stop, not for anything. Even as the tears welled in her eyes and she wished desperately to hold them one last time, she took a deep breath.

"Mama, Papa... I'm sorry. I can't rescue you."

Touma had been very quiet with most of this. He just wasn't sure what to do or say that could help anyone. As he watched Kayura, he cringed and grew more worried than before. "Kay, don't push yourself too much..." he didn't know why he said it, but there it was.

Her parents were screaming, but the others couldn’t hear them. Kayura knew it was better this way. “It... it’s alright, Touma-san.” she murmured, unable to look up at her parents being dragged away. “I knew this was coming.”

Knowing it was coming didn't make it any easier, was what he wanted to say. But he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say. Especially after everything else they just saw. Instead he just gave a small nod and continued to follow her.

The little Ancient plodded along, steadfast as she could possibly be, knowing friends and family were behind her every step of the way. Her parents reached out for their long-lost daughter, screaming in terror as Youjakai soldiers appeared behind them. Each new floor meant a repeated death and each time it tore at her heart.

Finally, at the top of the eleventh floor, Kayura sighed deeply, her face tear-strewn and raw.

Rajura would be disappointed... again. "I... I'm sorry. I don't... think I can keep this up."

Ryo put his hand on Kayura's shoulder. "You did a great job."

"Ryo's right." Touma answered.

Naaza eyed the rope. "Relinquish it to me, Lady Kayura. I'm anxious to be done with my part in all this."

Her brows furrowed. "Naaza-san... are you sure? I don't want you to suffer..."

His brow ticked in annoyance. "What you want in this matter makes no difference. It's what must be done, and so I will do it."

Kayura flinched and begrudgingly handed over the rope to Naaza. She believed in him, but knew he was in no mood to hear it.

Touma looked at Kayura before joining the others, "You going to be alright?"

The minute the rope was handed to him, Naaza gathered up the make-shift net and wore it like a pack. Without waiting for the others to react, he steeled his features and bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time and leaving the rest of the group behind.

~~~

Seiji stood quietly as first Kayura, then Shuten disappeared up the stairs with the orb. Rajura and Shuu were still down below. 

“Anubisu?” he said, then, in the lowest, quietest murmur he could manage, “Sasaki-san?”

Anubisu looked up, finally as everyone, but Seiji moved on. He didn't know what to say, even though he knew he should say something. He felt overwhelmed and embarrassed. They all now knew one of the worst parts of his past. What kind of person was he that his own father hated him? What kind of person was he that he could kill his father? "I..." He tried, but settled on, "Thanks for staying."

“Of course.” Seiji let the silence stretch between them for a few moments. “I don’t know who that was, but I am... pleased... you were able to defeat him. He seemed malevolent.”

He laughed, "My father."

“Ah.” Seiji stepped up onto the landing and stood next to Anubisu. “That would make facing such malice harder, then.”

"Ya," he agreed. Looking down at the previous landing, "My grandmother tried to stop it." He added quietly. He should have stopped to see her, even if it was just a ghost of an image.

“Then, she was truly an honorable person.”

Anubisu nodded, murderer, whispering in his mind. "So, now what?" He looked up to Seiji, "What's to be done now?"

Seiji shrugged. “We continue upwards with our secret hurts torn afresh. I am... unhappily anticipating my turn with the orb. I have not experienced the horrific pain you and Rajura have. I hope you will not think less of me for being affected by more petty, mundane matters. I find myself humbled by the strength you and he have shown in the face of such horror.”

"Strength?" He asked. Then, Anubisu snapped, "You're fine with me finally getting my revenge killing my own father? You're fine with me being a murderer?"

Seiji reared back slightly, startled at the sudden outburst. Then, he slowly shook his head. “I do not judge you either guilty or innocent. I have no ability to do so, or any right even to try. I do not know what events surrounded that act. I do not know the community you lived in, nor the state of Japan at the time. The joys and struggles that defined your life before Arago are also unknown to me.”

Seiji gave Anubisu a steady look. “You are not so uncaring that you would commit murder. That is plain to see at this moment. Therefore, there was a reason behind your actions. Good reasons, bad reasons... a mistake, perhaps, or the necessity to obtain justice stolen from you. Or you acted in defense of yourself or another. 

“I know you only as you are now, and I do not see before me an evil man.”

Taking a shuddering breath, Anubisu looked, really looked at Seiji. He believed the words, cutting right through self-doubt. The fierce compassion in Seiji's eyes spoke of sincerity he wanted to trust. A bit awed, Anubisu realized the glow around Seiji didn't hurt his eyes but was warm. And then it hit him, "You're not leaving me alone?"

“No.” Seiji knelt beside Anubisu and bowed towards him. “If anything, I had hoped to speak with you privately. When we were in the marketplace, I was curt and harsh towards you following my encounter with the statue of Thesan. While it may not rank high in a list of cruelties, it was still unjustified. 

“I offer you my most sincere apologies for the mistreatment and any damage I have done to the accord between us. Your presence has been a surprising source of comfort for me. If you are willing, I would greatly appreciate your continued association, and if possible, perhaps, your eventual friendship.”

"Seiji, you did nothing wrong." Anubisu insisted as he reached out to stop Seiji from bowing. "Maybe I should have trusted you a bit more. I was worried you were going to get taken away by whatever was happing."

Seiji straightened back up and nodded in acknowledgment. He paused before speaking as Rajura and Shuu appeared and climbed past them.

Unsurprised at seeing the two left behind, Rajura paused on the stairwell. He looked much improved, content even, but faded at the sight of them. "Anubisu...are you...doing alright?"

Anubisu pushed himself up the wall to stand, surprised by how worn out he was. He nodded to Rajura. "I'll be fine. It..." he searched for the right words, "It was more than I expected."

Seiji also rose smoothly to his feet, nodding briefly in acknowledgment. “How are you, Shuu?” he asked the other Ronin.

Shuu shrugged a bit. "Much better now that I’m away from the orb of suck. Sorry about that down there."

Seiji gave him a somewhat puzzled look. “You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, you should be commended for carrying so long. Even after we ascend this building, you will have carried it longer than anyone.”

Anubisu looked to Rajura, knowing both of them carried far less than Shuu did and were worse off for it. "Who took the rope? I didn't see."

“Lady Kayura bore it away, followed closely by Touma and Shuten, as well as the others.”

Shuu bristled. "Oh, man," he breathed, "I hope she's okay..."

"She is a strong woman," Rajura stated, looking upwards. "I would say she probably went farther than you or I, Anubisu."

"Probably," He agreed, "But she shouldn't have to."

“Lady Kayura expressed some very strong opinions earlier about what she should and should not be allowed to do,” Seiji commented wryly.

"Well, we could stand around debating our opinions on the matter, or we could rejoin our comrades and give Lady Kayura our support," Rajura smirked, heading for the next flight to climb.

Shuu nodded, "Right behind you."

Anubisu shared a look with Seiji and followed. He touched Seiji on the arm and said quietly, "Thanks." Seiji nodded his head and slipped up behind Anubisu.

And it was at that moment that Shuu and Rajura managed to catch back up. "Hey... uhh... Exactly what the fuck?" Shuu asked as Naaza seemed to book it up the stairs as soon as they approached.

He was off like a rocket, bounding up the stairs as quickly as his legs would carry him. Naaza knew what lay in store and did not wish to face it.

Seated on the landing of the 13th floor was a woman of middle age and lower social class. Her kimono was plain as could be, a dirty brown color, and her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Her skin looked clammy, as if she was ill. On her cheek, she bore a curious brown, blotchy marking about the size of a quarter.

In her lap was a mortar and pestle. She looked up from her work as Naaza passed by and reached out for him, disappointed when he kept moving by.

Diya was taking furious notes.

Naaza grabbed onto the railing to use his momentum for a quick turn up the next flight of stairs. No. He wouldn't give the beacon or his companions the satisfaction of seeing a piece of his past. Even if it meant pushing himself to the point of exhaustion; better that than to have it laid bare to others.

The woman stumbled to her feet, leaving the mortar and pestle behind. As Kayura passed, she looked back at the woman. She wasn't anyone familiar. She could only guess, but knew Naaza would never allow questions. To Ryo and Touma, the priestess nodded in thanks.

Naaza's legs felt heavy, like lead, as he rounded the corner to the top of the 14th floor. At his feet, the woman, visibly aged, coughed and hacked. She gripped her chest tightly. Her hair had grayed considerably and she lay on the landing in terrible pain.

The jaunt up the stairs took more out of him than he'd expected. Seeing her laying there while he greedily sucked in air...

He'd wanted to avoid this, but the burning in his lungs refused to let him go on. So, the warlord let gravity take him and he attempted to gather the frail woman in his arms, whispering apologies and pleas as he stroked her hair.

Getting up to the group, Shuu and Rajura saw the mess they were in. Nasuti had her arm around Kayura, and yes, they needed to know about her first. Rajura thought she seemed haunted, but not broken, not like himself and Anubisu. 

“Oh, boy,” Shuu said softly, Tarea jumping down from his arms.

Rajura turned to him, “Why do you say that, Shuu?” He watched the cat go up to Kayura and rub her legs. The girl bent over, picking up the cat and cuddling it as Shuu did. He was pleased she had some comfort, even if it was the devil cat.

Looking at Naaza, huddled with the specter, Shuu answered. “Because it's a big mood.”

Nasuti squeezed Kayura’s shoulder, “It’s my turn.” Her voice was soft but sure. She moved to Naaza, kneeling. “Naaza, please, give me the rope.” She could see the pain in his face and hear the hitch in his breath. But, he still shrugged off the net and handed it over. She placed her hand on his shoulder as the specter faded into dust. 

Standing tall, Nasuti continued up the stairs. She was determined to make it as far as she could. Her boys needed her, and she knew if she could get this up several floors, maybe some of them could be spared the pain of their worst memories. 

At the first landing, she knew what she would find. Her beloved grandfather. He was slumped in the corner, just like he was after Naaza had poisoned him. It hurt, but she walked on and refused to let this one image defeat her.

In fact, she thought, better Naaza get himself together below. She would hate for him to see this, not knowing if he felt guilty for his actions. Holding onto that compassion, she pushed on. 

On the next landing, her grandfather’s body lay out, as if he tried to crawl to her. Blood smears appeared, and she could hear him take a shuddering last breath. 

It didn’t break her the first time, and it won’t break her now. 

The next landing was worse. And the next. Ryo and Touma moved with her, her guard and strength. She could feel Shin and Shuten just behind. Even looking at the others, she could see them, weary, but with her. 

By the time she hit the twentieth floor and her grandfather reached out only to collapse at her feet, it was too much. She cried out, collapsing into Ryo’s arms, tears pouring from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Ryo held her, letting her cry out her pain. 

~~~

As the expanding little group continued to play catch-up with the others, they finally came upon Naaza sitting on the ground with his back to them, hunched over and quivering.

Rajura went to his side with concern, light placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you al-" His attention was immediately drawn to a trickle of red coming from the poison Masho's palm. Without thinking, he reached out for his wrist, only to have it wrested from his grasp.

"I'm fine… Just...just go on without me."

Noting the other two backed off, Anubisu kneeled down next to Naaza. "We can stay, if you need us. Or just one, if you want."

Naaza shied away slightly from him as something fell from his face, mixing with the dark color staining the cement. His voice shook, "I..." was all he could manage. 

Rajura frowned at the mess of a man pooled on the floor. He glanced up at Anubisu, as though he might have the answer Naaza couldn't bring himself to say.

He wouldn't ask what Naaza was seeing. Anubisu didn't want them asking about his memory, so he wouldn't ask what Naaza saw. "This wasn't an easy experience for any of us. We should catch up with the others."

The white-haired Masho nodded. "If you can't focus enough to magic that cut on your hand away, at least let one of us wrap it for you."

Naaza muttered something quietly, but even in the quiet din of the stairwell, he struggled to be heard and made no attempt to accept the offer.

Naaza's words never quite made it to Rajura's ears, though he knew he'd said something. Anubisu, however, heard the desperation clawing its way out of the warlord's throat. "How...how do I stop...?"

"Stop what?"

Slowly, the man turned his head towards Anubisu, locks of green hair gradually revealing his face. Naaza was normally difficult to read, but the mess of tears coming unbidden, the blood staining his chin, and the wide-eyed look made it nearly impossible. "This," he gestured towards the streaks on his cheeks with a shaky hand. "How...do I stop...this."

"It's not unmanly to cry, especially like this. It's best to be around those you trust."

He seethed in frustration, pushing himself to lean against the wall with his back to Rajura as crimson smeared across the stucco. "I'm not...sad. I'm furious," he hiccupped, a fresh stream of tears running down his cheeks. "And I su-sure as hell...don't trust any of you. B-But I don't...have much say in this now...So how...do I stop??"

Rajura grimaced at the sight of him. He opened his mouth to say something, but for once, his words failed him.

Anubisu reeled back. "You don't..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. He thought they were becoming friends and now? He looked at Rajura, equally confused.

Before Rajura had a chance to speak again, Naaza's fist hit the wall with a dull thud. "Then, what good are any of you?!" His voice came out thick and hoarse, the rage now clearly plain on his face. He forced himself to stand and maneuvered around them, heading to the stairs that would lead him down.

"Naaza, wait," Rajura didn't touch the pained Masho, but he did attempt to pause his stride. "We all knew the beacon would make us feel miserable. Perhaps not to what extent, but thus far we've all managed to get through it. This will pass, but until then, you must simply endure. I know you can do that much."

"I don't want your pity!" Naaza snapped. Instead of stopping, the green-haired warrior sped up his descent.

"Stop!" Anubisu called after him, "please. Stay together."

This time it was Anubisu's shoulder that Rajura put his hand on. "Don't. Don't pressure him. Not when he's under this much stress. We can follow him out, keep our distance and make sure he doesn't come to harm, but let him do as he sees fit."

Anubisu looked at the others, "No. He won't run as far if we let him go. The others need us and we should stick together."

The spider followed his gaze, brushing his hair aside with his fingers only for it to fall back into place. "A fair point. He's made his thoughts abundantly clear. I hate to put him on hold again, but the others may need our support too, especially if a battle ends up ensuing." Rajura stepped over to the stairwell that would guide them up and paused to wait for the dark-haired Masho.

~~~

The image of Nasuti’s grandfather faded as Ibaraki picked up the rope. “I'm gonna take this to the top, and no one's going to stop me,” he declared as he slung the orb over his shoulder. 

In the distance, they could smell the blood. There was a lot of it, like it was a slaughter – or battle. Ibaraki doesn’t seem to mind, taking a deep breath and seeming to remember. The rustling of trees and wind hinted at a memory outdoors.

As they approached the next landing, there lay another oni, one vaguely familiar. A body held its own head on its lap. The brilliant red hair spilled from the brow, mixing with the blood pooling beneath, and two beautiful horns curved out of the head. 

Several of the Troopers looked at Shuten, almost at once. He swallowed thickly, hoping to pass as fast as possible.

Ibaraki sniffled a bit, turning back to them, “This isn't so bad because you came back, so I can keep going.” He said sadly. Shuten-doji was his mentor, his teacher, and his friend. He would have done anything for him. He was so fortunate that he came back, even if it was as a human.

The second floor was more blood than the first. The third more again. And by the time Ibaraki got to the twenty-fourth floor, he just sat down, holding the orb in his lap. “I am very tired, and I don't want to carry this anymore. I know it makes me look weak, but I cannot do it.”

Shuten said to him, “It's not weak at all. Some of us have only made it so far, and you have made it longer than many of us.”

Ibaraki nodded and patted the head of the oni. “I really wanted to see him one more time.”

Both Ibaraki and Shuten looked up as Diya made his way to them. “I think I’ve seen enough that I would like to experience firsthand what is happening. I will complete my notes.” And Diya picked up the rope and continued, seemingly unperturbed.

On the next landing, Nagendra was there. He was cuddling a small child, a naga toddler with a short, stubby tail. The others would say he looked about three years old if he was human. It was apparent Nagendra was trying to soothe the child, although most of them couldn’t understand the Hindi they spoke in. 

Diya stopped to take notes. After writing furiously for a few moments, he continued. Shuu came up to him, “Wow. you're handling this really well, dude.”

Nodding, “I have not lived anywhere else but here. And that memory is one of mine, if that is what this orb is manifesting. My worst memory is apparently finding out Nagendra is not my father.”

“Sorry, dude.”

“It's alright,” He answered. “I have already made peace with it, and looking at my notes, it could have been much worse. I have lived a peaceful life.”

Shuu shrugged, “Family ain’t always blood.”

“I would appreciate you all not telling Nagendra about this.”

Smiling big, Shuu replied, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“What?”

“It’s an oath, dude.” Shuu patted him on the arm. “I won’t tell.”

On the next landing, the image was more potent, and Diya could hear his childish voice screaming for his real dad. “I think I’m tired, and someone else should take this.” He said as he held out the rope. 

Shuten took it gently, hoping to spare the rest of the Troopers the rest of the climb. If Suiko awaited them, then Shin would need all the support he could get from his friends. They didn’t need to be bogged down in the mire of their memories. And although he was still a bit sensitive from seeing what could be a past incarnation dead and bleeding, he wouldn’t let that stop him.

The smell of smoke started to fill the stairway, and the sound of crackling wood met them. In the distance, faint cries could be heard, some screams and wails mixed in. Then, on the next landing, sat Jun, dressed in a tattered old kimono. But, they had never seen him like this, burned and bleeding, crying hard. Shuten sucked in a breath of air before shaking his head and moving on. He fixedly ignored the reaching hand.

“What the… This never happened.” Ryo said quietly. He tried waving at Jun, but the specter didn’t seem to see him.

The figure got up and followed Shuten, seeming to talk and ask questions. The flinches and twitches on Shuten's face showed them how much it was bothering him. And when he started answering, they heard, “I don't know. I don't know... Because I had to. If I didn't, it would have all fallen apart, and I know it wasn't right.”

Nasuti stepped between the specter and Shuten, “Shuten, what are you talking about? This never happened to Jun.”

“I know this isn’t Jun.” He answered. Nasuti could see the pain in his eyes, “But, I don't remember his face.” He waved to the boy as anguish filled his voice, “All I can think of is Jun because I didn't bother to remember his face.”

“It will be all right, we’ll get through this,” Nasuti promised.

“I-“ Shuten started and then looked down. The specter of Jun held his hand, and tears tracking thought the ash and burnt skin and Shuten froze in place.

Sharing a knowing look, Rajura and Anubisu moved up behind Shuten. Rajura put his hand on Nasuti’s shoulder, “Yagyu-san, please continue on. You’re needed with the others, and we’ll take care of him.” Nasuti looked at him, then to Anubisu, and nodded. Her boys did need her, especially as Ryo took the rope from Shuten’s hand as he offered it to the next person. 

As Jun faded away, Shuten lunged to try to catch him. Anubisu and Rajura held him as the memory let go, and he came back to himself. He met their eyes, thankful, even if Anubisu turned away.

They were distracted at Ryo’s sudden outcry. “No!” They joined the others to see Ryo holding the body of a foreign woman, rocking slowly. 

Shin had enough of everyone experiencing their worst memories, all for the sake of getting his armor back. His friends and new allies were undergoing severe emotional and mental strain to get the orb up where he could use it. “I’m sorry, Ryo,” Shin muttered to his friend before picking the sphere up. “Let’s get this over with.” Diya acknowledged and opened the door.

He took a few steps out onto the roof, looking at the other occupant. There, the original Suiko armor sat ready, waiting for him. He felt the others fan out behind him, their strength his.

Hesitantly, he walked to the armor, reaching out to caress the yari, it’s blades ready and waiting. Quickly, it grabbed his wrist, pulling Shin close. He could see the swirl of the sea in the visor and smell the tang of fish hanging on the metal this close. But, it seemed rotten and turbid, like it was dying.

“Why are you such a coward? Are you here to reject me again? What will they think? You'll be letting your friends down. Again. Like always.”

His initial reaction was to pull back, to recoil from the stench and harsh words. But, he stopped himself. “'A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a shortcut to meet it,'” he quoted. "I have come to terms with having to fight. Especially if it means protecting those I care about." Almost knowing it needed his acceptance, Shin reached around the armor to embrace it.

Shin could feel the shocked emotions as slowly, its arms came up and embraced Shin. “...Thank you for not forgetting me, not rejecting me... don't leave me, and I won't leave you…” And it dissolved into pure water, soaking Shin, feeling like it soaked into his very soul.

The orb glowed a bright blue as if finally activated and ready. Like a triggered response, a whale song called from a distance, and Shin held up the orb to catch its attention. The light coalesced into a beam, sending out its light straight for the whale shape in the clouds, acting as a personal lighthouse to safely guide it in.

The shadow grew and got bigger. It seemed to swallow the sky, circling overhead until the massive head broke through. An eye came level with the building, looking at Shin and the orb. It was so huge, and Shin could have walked through it as a gateway without ever touching the sides.

“You! What do you have there? I can see it beyond my sadness... Who are you?” The bass rumbled loudly around them, vibrating in their very bones with the deep frequency and tremendous volume.

“My name is Shin, and I am a warrior. How did you get stuck up there?”

“A warrior? I see you are from somewhere else. Are you from the sea as well?”

“I live near the sea, and my armor is of the sea.”

“Your armor? This needle?” It rolled, showing a bright spot just under its fin. It was a wound the size of a man, emitting a sea blue light. 

“It may be part of my armor. Can I try pulling it off of you?” Shin asked.

“Yes! Yes, please remove it!”

Shin climbed closer then jumped onto the fin of the whale, smoothly gliding over the smooth flesh towards the wound. He slid down in the narrow gap where the fin met the body and braced himself on one of the ridges that spanned the blue whale's lower body. Thinking this was a lot easier to do in the water, Shin held on to the fin with one hand and placed the other hand on the wound. The light grew brighter until its glow surrounded him, but he could feel the sharp edges of the yari just poking out of the injury. He pulled on it and felt the whole thing begin sliding out. It didn't take any work, and as the armor freed itself from the body of the blue whale, the lights wound and engulfed him. In a flash, he was away from the whale's body and floating back down to the roof, where the original Suiko armor first met him.

He felt the power running through him via the new armor, the one that Sunagazi created. The pull of the ocean and the power of the waves flowed through, he felt at peace again. 

As he turned around, he could see the whale swimming away. Had they been in the ocean, he would have been breaching through the clouds and splashing back down. It was quite a sight to see as the whale played in the clouds. 

“Thank you for relieving the pain. It has been with me always since coming here. And now, I am free.”

“I'm pleased I could help you, and you help me,” Shin replied honestly.

“I can now return home to the sea. Thank you!”

As the whale turned to start swimming away, it slowly turned to ash and dissipated. As the ash blew into the clouds, they began dissipating. Cloud breaks were seen in the sky, and for the first time in many hundreds of years, the moon and the stars were able to shine their light upon this world.

“Now this has been one heck of a day,” Touma commented.

Shin watched where the whale faded, somehow knowing it was much happier and merging with a pod back in their realm. He turned to the others with a contented smile, humbled by how they helped him get his armor again. He bowed deeply, prostrating himself fully before them and thanking them for helping him.

Shuu wasn’t having any of that. He picked his friend up, hugging him tightly. “It's okay, man; you don't have to do that.” He was so happy Shin got his armor back. 

“I feel whole again,” Shin said softly, and Shuu nodded.

“That was the biggest sushi I've ever seen,” Ibaraki snorted.

Ryo nodded, “I’ve heard whale meat is delicious.” He was still hurt, but Shin’s happiness was worth it.

Even with the scandalized look Shin now gave Ryo, “How can you? Really?” No one laughed. It still hurt too much. 

Ryo was going to reply when he noticed something at Shin's feet and pointed it out. Shin picked up the business card, reading the beautiful inscription:

“I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow.”  
― Edgar Allan Poe

Kayura sighed, looking over everyone, “I think we should all go back to the apartment and rest. I think we deserve it.” Nasuti agreed and started ushering them all back. Kayura looked around for Tarea, knowing the poor kitty was around when the whale arrived. She sighed in relief when she found Anubisu cradling a strange lump in his kimono top.

Touma nodded at the women, “I think we earned the rest of the day off.”

Shin was left holding the orb, and Ibaraki came up to him, unhappy he had yet to break anything. “Okay, that looks impressive. And I've heard Shuu-dude say this plenty of times: I can Yeet for you.”

“You got it right, dude!” Shuu said loudly. “We need to throw it really hard, really far.”

Ibaraki got ready to do it, “I can do that.”

“Well,” Shin said, stopping Ibaraki. “Should we really get rid of it?”

“I don't know what we’d do with it,” Touma answered, thinking of all the junk already in the apartment.

“If I may,” Diya started, “we’ll take it. It will be something new to research.” The Troopers looked around at each other and handed it to Diya.

Yawning loudly, Ibaraki said, “I am hungry, and I need a nap.”

“That I can second,” Shuten agreed, earning a smile from Ibaraki.

~~~

End Volume I


End file.
